Research on the OPAC’s quality should be cotinued. Call to memory of Galina Skaruk (1969–2019)

Abstract

The author talks about research related to the efficiency and quality of the OPAC’s, which was conducted inNovosibirskfor a quarter of a century, in the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of theRussianAcademyof Sciences. Galina Anatolyevna Skaruk concluded that the prestige of the library was connected with the reader's satisfaction with the search. The first study showed: the reader does not find the necessary literature unassisted. Search is a reader function. But the “untrained reader” cannot be an effective user of OPAC. We need a certain level of information culture. The possibilities of the OPAC’s linguistic tools in the thematic search are used slightly. They need to be combined into a system, applied in a complex. The complex included: the language of bibliographic description (in particular, the title), classification systems – Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) and Library Bibliographic Classification (LBC), State Rubricator of Scientific and Technical Information and verbal languages (subject headings, keywords). It became clear that the composition of the complex should not be formed by chance, but be determined by the parameters of the library (such as the contingent of its readers, the composition of the collections, the service system). With the help of questioning and other sociological methods, it was comprehensively studied: what does the reader in OPAC look for, what is the mechanism of interaction of the reader with OPAC. Considered the search situation, analyzed in detail the search behavior of readers. A number of theoretical problems were solved. The basic concepts are clarified: efficiency, quality, criteria of completeness, correctness, operativeness are defined. For the first time introduced the concept of comfort search. In many publications, the methodology of conducting research was described in detail, questionnaires were attached, and the technology of content and statistic processing was explained. Dozens of publications by Galina Anatolyevna Skaruk (1969–2019) tell us about the research conducted. Their study enables libraries to conduct similar scientific work in their conditions. It is clear that we can expand the horizons of research. Studying the quality and effectiveness of OPAC in every library will increase the circulation of collections, the level of service to readers, and ultimately enhance the prestige of the library. Therefore, together with the article devoted to G. A. Skaruk, who died early, a list of her scientific works is published.