Good web-based list of OPACs on the net?

Prentiss Riddle riddle at is.rice.edu
Fri Oct 27 16:20:46 EDT 1995


Apologies if this is a frequently-asked question (although I almost
hope it is, because then there will probably be a good answer):

Is there a good WWW-based index of online library catalogs accessible
from the Internet?

Previously we had pointed to the gopher-based Yale collection or its
mirror at UT Dallas, but it now appears that its maintainers have shut
it down.

I've looked at the web-based Hytelnet gateways listed at the following
location:

	http://www.lights.com/hytelnet/#web

...but for my purposes all of them seem to have drawbacks: the EiNet
Galaxy one mixes in a lot of extraneous material other than links to
OPACs, the Canadian ones don't permit searching and the others require
a transatlantic hop.

So for the moment we are linking to the gopher-based Hytelnet site at
WLU:

	gopher://liberty.uc.wlu.edu:70/11/internet/hytelnet

The WLU site seems pretty good and permits searching, but unlike the
old Yale collection it doesn't include a state-by-state breakdown,
something dear to the hearts of Texas library patrons.  Also, it pushes
the gopherphobic buttons of some of my users (they sure hate that
fixed-width look in Netscape and Mosaic!). :-)  Finally, I wonder if
Hytelnet includes Z39.50- and WWW-based OPACs which aren't accessible
via telnet or tn3270.

So, can anyone recommend a better online list of OPACs?

-- Prentiss Riddle ("aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada") riddle at rice.edu
-- RiceInfo Administrator, Rice University / http://is.rice.edu/~riddle
-- Home office: 2002-A Guadalupe St. #285, Austin, TX 78705 / 512-323-0708


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