Evaluating your online public access catalogue

The authors draw on their experience of evaluating the British Library's Networked OPAC (NOPAC) and the JISC-funded CURL OPAC (COPAC). They identify the main reasons for evaluating an OPAC, and provide a critical discussion of methods available for OPAC evaluation. The methods covered include controlled testing, transaction log analysis, obtrusive and unobtrusive observation, face to face and telephone interviews, and postal and electronic questionnaires. Sample questions for laboratory tests are highlighted. Experiences in evaluating NOPAC and COPAC are discussed, and results from these projects are used to illustrate the points made. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of defining the scope of an evaluation exercise, advocating the use of more than one method to collect data, and suggesting useful texts on planning effective OPAC evaluation.