Abstract:
The explosion of computer and communication technologies, which is referred to as
information and communication technology (ICT) has affected almost all aspects of
human life including library. Libraries have been looking forward for better technologies
even before the onset of the computers. Now in the information era, in order to avoid
obsolescence of information, library professionals are applying advanced technologies to
enable its user community to get the right information at the right time. In order to
achieve this objective, libraries are automating their services.
The OPAC is an integrated part of total library system including acquisition
cataloguing, circulation and other auxiliary services. An Online Public Access Catalog
or OP AC is a computerized online catalog which provides bibliographical information of
the materials held in a library. The user can easily access it at computers within the
library, ·or anywere he or she likes. OPAC terminals began to replace card catalogs in
many libraries in the 1980s. Since mid-1990s, these systems have increasingly migrated
to Web-based interfaces and OPAC is becoming a more popular information retrieval
tool currently.
OPAC can provide facilities like high quality bibliographic data, greater number of
access points, interactive searching, online training, backup facilities, rapid database
management system, authority control files etc. However most Sri Lankan libraries do
not use this facility which is the problem this study.
Main objectives of this research were identification of user bibliographical needs,
problems related to the library automation software, identification of problems of user
and those of the library staff adopting OPAC system.
Primary data was collected using questionnaires and personal interviews. The purposive
sampling method was used to select the six university main libraries.
Data collected in this research revealed inadequate computer literacy and non-familiarity
with OPAC as the major causes of the above problem. Inadequate knowledge regarding
bibliographical data search strategies, deficiencies with regard to terminals, problem
related to library automation software were the other causes of the issue.
To overcome these problems both staff and the users need to have a high level of
computer literacy. They also must have a sufficient knowledge on the nature of the
components of bibliographical databases. Selecting the suitable library automation
software and promoting uniformity between university library automation activities are
the other reforms necessary m this connection.
