Making the new OPAC seamless: dealing with the transition from “finding” to “getting”

This paper aims to describe the process of development undertaken by the State Library of Tasmania to provide a new generation OPAC – TALISPlus.

The methods developed and used to meet the “getting” needs of clients in the new OPAC are described, with examples based on the alternatives investigated and the results achieved.

During this development process the State Library established, through client consultation and feedback, that the process of item discovery within the new OPAC was incomplete unless accompanied by new methods that ensured that the desired item could in turn be easily found and physically accessed by clients. The need to address both the finding and getting requirements of clients is of major importance to the State Library of Tasmania which provides a state‐wide public lending system with one collection spread across 49 branches.

The paper argues that the development of a successful next generation OPAC is not limited to the provision of new searching functionality. Rather the success of a new OPAC is linked to its ability to provide existing clients with a seamless tool that delivers the ability to both find and get the desired item. The provision of this seamless access will require additional and significant development resources. However, the high levels of client satisfaction with the new OPAC witnessed by the State Library reinforce and validate this approach.