Enhancing online catalog searches with an electronic referencer

Studies have shown that users have difficulty in using the many different search systems of library catalogs. This is because users do not possess the knowledge and skills that librarians have for performing searches on the catalogs. With the growth of the Internet, more libraries are offering their services online including the information in the catalog systems. In the library premises, users can seek the help of Librarians in carrying out their searches on the catalogs. However, such assistance is usually not available over the Internet for practical reasons. With an electronic referencer playing the role of a Librarian, users can get similar assistance and conduct more effective searches of the catalogs over the Internet. This paper describes the design and implementation of an electronic referencer known as the E-Referencer. It is a web-based interface developed to help users achieve more effective searches in online catalogs. It does so by capturing the expert knowledge of librarians (in the form of search strategies) into its knowledge base, and selecting and using them in helping users retrieve relevant records. The E-Referencer system is implemented using the JESS expert system shell and uses the Z39.50 protocol to access library databases on the Internet. The results of a test conducted to study the effectiveness of the system using a small sample of twelve queries are presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.