Search interface for Z39.50 compliant online catalogs over the Internet

Reference librarians play an important role in library premises. They help users in getting the most out of their searches and getting what they want more effectively. Such services are usually not available over the Internet for practical reasons. However, with a search interface playing the role of a reference librarian, similar services in helping users conduct more effective searches of catalogs can be provided over the Internet. This paper discusses the problems users generally encounter in using online catalogs and discusses the design of a Web-based search interface for online catalog system searches over the Internet.