Purpose-The importance of online public access catalogues (OPACs) has changed in recent years, mainly due to the large number of electronic resources now available. The aim of this study is to learn about and evaluate the use made by researchers of the OPAC of the library network of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, the largest research institution in Spain. Design/methodology/approach-To this end a questionnaire was drafted with questions pertaining both to the system and to the users themselves. The information gathered was supplemented by data obtained from the transaction logs. Findings-The results have revealed the use made of the OPAC and the characteristics of the searches performed. Users are still confronted by classic problems of information seeking: information overload, errors in subject searching, and the predominant use of the system's simpler options. The results show that the OPAC is broadly used by end-users not only for obtaining printed material, but also for connecting to the electronic resources subscribed to by the library. Originality/value-The OPAC should continue to occupy an important position in the library's overall information environment, interacting with other information systems.

No abstract

ABSTRACT:This article describes the process that CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) followed from [2001][2002][2003] The CSIC Library NetworkThe CSIC is a multi-sector, multi-disciplinary public research entity attached to the Spanish ministry of Science and Technology and it is established throughout Spain. It is a scientific institution which collaborates with the state, autonomous and loca authorities , with other research institutions (universities, public and private research entities) and with social and economic organisations both national and foreign, to which it brings its research capacity and its human resources and materials either in the development of research programmes or as scientific and technical advice and support.It is made up of 100 institutes with a specialized library which supports research. These, in turn are organized into the CSIC Library Network made up of 100 specialized libraries distributed between 21 cities of 10 autonomous Communities, 17 of these belong to mixed centres with different universities. In coordination they make up one of the largest contributions to the system of scientific information in the country; highly specialized library resources of more than 1,400,000 monographs and more than 44,408 titles corresponding to 76,157 journal collections as well as other types of documental material such as maps, photographs, manuscripts, etc.The distribution by subject is in accordance with CSIC research areas; biology and biomedicine, food technology, materials technology, physical technologies, chemical technologies, agricultural sciences, humanities and social sciences, information sciences and natural resources.