Technical Services and User Service Improvement Jie Huang & Katherine Wong University of Oklahoma Libraries U.S.A.

Introduction As information technology plays an increasingly larger role in library services, the quality of “user services” is no longer the sole responsibility of public services, but is greatly affected by technical services as well. There are various ways technical services, especially the cataloging department, can contribute to raising library users’ satisfaction and add valuable information to the online catalog.

Enhancing Bibliographic Records  Contents notes Adding contents notes to the online catalog to increases the usability of certain distinct titles by providing extra access points.

Contents notes (example)

Enhancing Bibliographic Records URL links Providing seamless access to electronic resources by adding URL links to the online catalog is a vital responsibility of the Cataloging Department.

URL links (example)

Enhancing Bibliographic Records Subject Headings Assigning Library of Congress (LC) subject headings to theses and dissertations is one way to help users locate this type of literature and another method of enhancing the online catalog.

Subject Headings (example)

Enhancing Bibliographic Records Authority Control Authority control is an important component of cataloging, greatly enhancing the identifying and collocating functions of the library’s catalog.

Authority Control (example)

Collaboration between Public and Technical Services User services can be improved not only by the efforts of either public or technical services, but also by the collaboration between public and technical services.

Collaboration between Public and Technical Services Database Maintenance The Catalog Maintenance Unit in the Cataloging Department is responsible for correcting errors in the online catalog as they are reported. An error report/suggestion form is available for users or Public Services staff to comment on the online catalog.

Database Maintenance (continued) The Catalog Maintenance Unit is also responsible for updating all changes to reflect the holding information and correct location when materials are lost, withdrawn, or transferred from one location to another.

Collaboration between Public and Technical Services Cataloging on Demand The Cataloging Department at the University of Oklahoma Libraries works closely with the Reference Department and Branch Libraries to provide rush-cataloging and reclassification on demand services.

Cataloging on Demand (example)

Collaboration between Public and Technical Services Digitization In order to enhance the online catalog, the University of Oklahoma Libraries undertook a project to digitize title pages. The project began as a quick way to provide author/title access to a backlog of uncataloged titles, many of which were rare books in the History of Science Collections.

Digitization (example)

Digitization The Western History Collections at the University of Oklahoma Libraries also digitized several Native American manuscript collections, One of them was integrated into the online catalog, the Cataloging Department provided hyperlinks to the digitized collection.

Digitization (example)

Conclusion In conclusion, we wish to emphasize that maintaining the quality of the online catalog as well as promoting cooperation between public and technical services are key factors in achieving high quality user service. Our report shows that technical services, especially the Cataloging Department, can make important contributions to raising the quality of user services through their daily effort in maintaining and enhancing the online catalog.