Amalgamation of classification and keyword searches of library catalogs with web technology

摘要

Searching facility for the library collections is one of the most important and inevitable services for libraries. Nowadays the one most popularly used is the OPAC (Open Public Access Catalog) system and users can search for books through Web browsers by specifying search keywords. However OPAC covers only new books and users are supposed to use the ordinary catalog cards classified in wooden drawers, which should be done off-line inside of the library. Considering the rapid progress of Internet, it is quite important to provide a means for such old books to be searched with Web browsers. In order to realize such a service with low cost in a short period, we have developed a prototype system for searching catalog card images. One of the important goals of this system is to provide an amalgamated search method of keyword search for OPAC and classification search for card images. The purpose of this paper is to propose such an amalgamation method and to demonstrate its importance. This research is a good beginning to provide a sophisticated and intelligent search facility for future digital libraries.