Inflation: an OPAC interface for social scientists

The matching of user's vocabulary with library terminology has always been a problem for libraries and information centres. Various methods have been devised to improve it but it has continued with the automation of libraries and the advent of OPACs. Many approaches to improve the results of OPAC subject searches have been suggested. The development of a novel user-friendly interface to a database is one of them. In the present study a new user-friendly interface using HyperCard on Apple Macintosh is designed, keeping in view the information requirements of users of social science literature. A sample database of monographs (with table of contents for enhancing the subject content of records to improve retrieval performance) and articles published in journals on 'inflation' has been created and linked with an interface. The interface has been evaluated by end users and findings are discussed.