Ref lib questions WWW in OPACs

[Richard Heinzkill]

Dear Catalogers -

I don't claim to have read all of the postings about cataloging the 
Internet, however here is an angle I haven't seen addressed.

Has any thought be given to how the general public finds the cataloged web 
sites?  My understanding is that cataloging rules do not provide for a 
floating form division i.e. internet. (Or for that matter do media, film, 
audio recordings, videos get special recognition in the subject catalog.)  
So if one is looking for such formats don't look in the subject section for 
guidance.  The item will be there, but buried; for example the web site for 
resources to study Edmund Spsnser has simply been entered under subject: 
Spenser, Edmund.  

If one is sophisticated enough, one could notice a different location as you 
browse through the entries in that file (which in a large library could 
easily be more than 100).   

Or one could do a limit search, limiting by type of material.

Or one could ask for Computer File in the title and look through ALL of the 
titles with that material designation. 

It seems to me that only the persistent, sophisticated or just plain lucky 
will locate any of those cataloged urls!


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Richard Heinzkill                office phone: (503) 346-3095            
University of Oregon                                                     
Knight Library                   Web: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~heinzkil 
Eugene, OR 97403-1299            e-mail: heinzkil at oregon.uoregon.edu   

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