This assignment required me to locate two libraries in order to evaluate their online

public access catalogs. I chose to compare and analyze two public libraries located in the United
States of America. The first library I examined was the Bartlesville Public Library. The
Bartlesville Public Library is located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The librarys website,
http://www.bartlesville.lib.ok.us/, was fairly easy to navigate. The homepage is very simple in
its design. A column on the left-hand side of the page contains the librarys search catalog, user
login, and online services. Beneath these features, I was able to locate the physical address,
phone number, and hours of operation. I thought the physical location of the library was slightly
hidden amongst the sites information. The user is not able to visually see the information
without scrolling down at least one-fourth of the pages contents. When I Googled the
Bartlesville Public Library, the feedback advertisement contained a tab for the website, and the
directions. The directions tab linked to a Google Map for the BPL. From the homepage, I
accessed the Community tab. Within this tab is a link to the Bartlesville GIS Maps; however,
the link was unavailable. When I clicked the link, I received the message This page cant be
displayed. BPL does have links for their Facebook and Twitter sites. Both of these icons are
located in the websites title and is slightly hidden in the background color.

In addition to the Bartlesville Public Library, I also examined the Rawlins Municipal
Library. The Rawlins Municipal Library is located in Pierre, South Dakota. The librarys
website, http://www.rawlinslibrary.org/, was very easy to navigate. The homepage is very
inviting in its appearance. The librarys websites features are easy to locate. The homepage is
small and simplistic. It does not contain additional site information strewn about the homepage;
instead the library has created tabs for supplemental information to be stored. These tabs
include: About Us, Contact Us, Kids Page, and Resource Directory. The search catalogue is
located at the middle of the page and is visible to the user. The physical address, phone number,
fax number, and hours of operation were located to the left of the search catalogue. A Google
Map of the library is located to the right of the search catalogue. Each of the directional features
are visible to the user from the homepage. The site has very clear icons for Google, Facebook,
and Twitter; they are vertically placed on the edge of the homepage. The arrangement of the
icons is clearly an attention getter for the user. Also, available on the RMLs homepage is the
sites reference databases.

Both of the libraries online public access catalogues were accessible from each of the
sites homepages. When accessing the sites, the user can clearly see were to access the search
catalogues. The Bartlesville Public Librarys search catalogue has an initial search feature on the
websites homepage. The user creates an initial search and selects Go! The user is then
redirected to the sites online catalogue. It is from this page that the user can search by keyword
and search by field (title, author, subject, notes, publisher, etc.). The availability to limit the
search by audiobooks, books, DVDs, Spanish language, or books by the readers age preference.
The Rawlins Municipal Librarys initial online search catalogue (located on the homepage)
allows for the user to type in the request and filter by keyword, title, author, subject, and series.
This search then redirects the user to the results of the search.
 When I accessed the Bartlesville Public Library, I chose to use the book, Harry Potter
and the Sorcerers Stone. After I accessed the librarys OPAC system and had searched by title, I
was able to locate a total of five results. The book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, was
actually the fourth result. During the search by author, I discovered forty-four results for the
author, J.K. Rowling. The fourth result included the book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone, written by Rowling. The third search was based on the subject, wizards. When I
generated a subject search with regards to wizards, my search included two hundred fifty-eight
results. My books title was the thirty-fourth result within the subject search. The Rawlins
Municipal Library generated slightly different result numbers. As I accessed the title search, I
discovered five results. The book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, was the first result in
this search. When I generated the search by author, the search revealed thirty-six results. The
thirtieth result was the title of my book. The final search was based on subject. Once again, I
searched by using wizards as my subject. This search resulted in one hundred sixty-six results.
My book was the seventy-first result within the subject results. Based on my findings, I would
surmise that the Bartlesville Public Library has a slightly larger childrens and young adult
section when compared to the Rawlins Municipal Library. Both of the libraries were able to
yield three successful searches based on my three types of access points: title, author, and
subject.

Both library OPAC systems were helpful in identifying the information packages for my
book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. I accessed the Bartlesville Public Library
bibliographic record to view how the subject listing for my book had been catalogued. One of
the subjects identified for the book was wizards juvenile. When I viewed the BPL information
packages for wizards juvenile, I found there were sixty-three books and seven sound
recordings (compact discs). Some of the books, from this subject area, that would interest the
juvenile reader would include: Magyk, Shadow on the Stars, and Golden. There were seven
audio recordings (compact discs) listed. A few of the audio recordings included such titles as
Ptolemys Gate and Charlie Bone and the Beast. The Bartlesville Public Library had several
resources covering the subject category for wizards -- juvenile. When I accessed the Rawlins
Municipal Library and viewed the bibliographic record for my book, I did not find the same
subject listing as I did with the Bartlesville record. Instead, the subject was catalogued under the
term wizards fiction. Upon viewing the Rawlins Municipal Library information packages for
wizards fiction, I discovered eighty books, twenty-one audio books, and one large print book.
The materials listed under these terms would interest a large range of ages. Some of the book
titles included Babar and the Succotash Bird, Charlie Bone and the Hidden King, and
Morrigans Cross. Examples of the audio books were The Amulet of Samarkland and The
Dresden Files Book #1: Storm Front. Both libraries had listed the subject as being wizards, but
the Bartlesville Public Library narrowed the search when they included the term juveniles.
Rawlins Municipal Library created a broad search by pairing wizards with the term fiction. This
search listed books from childrens books to adult books.

Each of the library systems offer assistance with their online public access catalogue.
The BPL offers a Help menu on the online catalogue access page. The drop down menu includes
thirteen different types of search assistance tutorials, and two tutorials explaining how to
manage/request materials. Each of these tutorials are in a print format. In addition to these
informative pieces of information, there are guides for the subject matter including resource
availability, accessibility, and saving results. The library also offers two personal help options.
The user can ask a librarian via email (response time = within 24 hours) or call a reference
assistance to personally ask a question. The Rawlins Municipal Library offers a Search tab.
This tab allows the user to access five types of searches and to receive help assistance. The five
searches include combo, advanced, media, serials, and browse collection. When the user
accesses one of these areas, a help button is located on each of the screens. The user can then
view a small tutorial in text form to understand the specific search request. From the results
page, the user can access a help button (it is shaped like a question mark). This small help
page offers the user minimal assistance by describing the displayed icons or wording that could
be found in a search results listing. The user could access the Support Email option. The site
does not indicate who would respond to the email or an expected time frame for a response. I
believe the Bartlesville Public Library offers assistance that would better meet the needs of a
novice user. The search tutorials and first-hand assistance would better serve the individual who
may experience problems during their search. The Rawlins Municipal Library offers extremely
simplified tutorials with minimal explanation for the beginning user.

I thought the Bartlesville Public Librarys OPAC system had exceptional search features.
The user was able to filter the search by using fourteen different categories (title, author, subject,
general notes, publisher, genre, series, ISBN, ISSN, LCCN, Publisher No., SuDoc, CODEN, and
STRN). However, I was surprised that the Rawlins Municipal Library offered keyword, title,
author, subject, and series as their only search features. I would have thought a library located in
the states capitol city would have offered more search features such as genre and ISBN.
However, the RML website was very user friendly. If possible, I would have changed the BPLs
websites homepage. It seemed very plain in appearance, and the information running down the
majority of the homepage is extremely daunting for the user to view. I would either minimize
this information, or place the information in small textboxes with the option to display more or
less content.

Finally, it is important for the library to create an efficient and effective system that will
... build a well-organized collection of resources in order to maximize the chance that users
will find what they need (Cloonan and Dove 2005, 58). Both of the OPAC systems I accessed
seemed to meet the organizational needs of its users. The Bartlesville Public Library seems to
have a larger information base than the Rawlins Municipal Library. Therefore, the BPLs OPAC
system offers a larger range of search options than the RML system. C.A. Cutter (1904) listed
certain features that are important for a library system. In order for the user to be able to make a
productive search, they should be able to create a search through bibliographic information.
These bibliographic records may include such aspects as the title, author, subject, language,
edition, and notes. When systems include search features such as these, the user will be more
likely to create an effective search. In order for libraries to create successful searches through
their online catalogues, they will need to include the features that will meet their users needs.
References:

Bartlesville Public Library. 2017. Bartlesville Public Library Online Catalogue.

Last modified February 14. http://www. bartlesville.lib.ok.us/.

Cloonan, Michele V., and John G. Dove. 2005. Ranganathan Online. Library Journal

130 (6): 58-60. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson),

EBSCOhost (accessed February 22, 2017).

Cutter, C.A. 1904. Objects and Means. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing

Office. Accessed February 22, 2017. https://dominicanu.instructure.com/courses/292955

/files/23056368/download?verifier=OgzlOckgdylZZXnoaEpvTAEgbeaxqJn5vEOsNrss&wrap=1.

Rawlins Municipal Library. 2017. Search Catalog. Accessed February 22.

http://www.rawlinslibrary.org/.