Purpose -The paper aims to present the results of the first two tasks of a user study looking into mental models of the bibliographic universe and especially their comparison to the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) conceptual model, which has not yet been user tested. Design/methodology/approach -The paper employes a combination of techniques for eliciting mental models and consisted of three tasks, two of which, card sorting and concept mapping, are presented herein. Its participants were 30 individuals residing in the general area of Ljubljana, Slovenia.Findings -Cumulative results of concept mapping show a strong resemblance to FRBR. Card sorts did not produce conclusive results. In both tasks, participants paid special attention to the original expression, indicating that a special place for it should be considered.Research limitations/implications -The study was performed using a relatively small sample of participants living in a geographically limited space using relatively straight-forward examples. Practical implications -Some solid evidence is provided for adoption of FRBR as the conceptual basis for cataloguing. Originality/value -This is the first widely published user study of FRBR, applying novel methodological approaches in the field of Library and Information Science.

The purpose of this article is to describe some of the problems and issues faced by online library catalogues. It aims to establish how libraries have undertaken the mission of developing the next generation catalogues and how they compare to new tools such as Amazon. Methodology/ Approach: An expert study was carried out in January 2008 to evaluate six library catalogues (one traditional and five recently modernised) and compare them to Amazon. Findings: While the traditional catalogue has stayed far behind, the modernised catalogues have taken two different approaches in becoming the 'next generation catalogue'. Two catalogues focused on improving functionality while two others decided to introduce Web/Library 2.0 trends first. At this point, none of the catalogues offers as vast a range of features as Amazon does, but one catalogue managed to surpass Amazon in some of the examined features. Research limitations/implications: The chosen set of tested catalogues may not be representative and we cannot draw conclusions for the whole population of library catalogues. Originality/value: The paper shows the current state of library catalogues and draws attention to some important issues concerning Web 2.0 trends. Features presented in the tabular outline can be used as pointers for further development of library catalogues.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract The content and quality of 28 Slovenian public library Web pages were studied in 2001 and 2002. The research was performed by students of Department of Library and Information Science and Book Studies (University of Ljubljana). In that way, student ability of Web page evaluation was also tested. The results show that while libraries are trying to modernise their work, the content of their Web pages is still predominantly oriented towards traditional library materials and services. Not enough emphasis is given to electronic resources. The potential of new ways of direct communication with the users is not realized. In addition, libraries have problems maintaining their Web sites: often the information is erroneous or outdated. In order to help and guide libraries in the future, a common concept of public library Web site is proposed, followed by content guidelines. Some additional activities (e.g. cooperation of libraries, changes in library education curricula) are proposed.

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