The Unicorn web catalog is in many ways similar to the NOTIS OPAC and in others it is radically different. It uses the basics of the World Wide Web--graphical interface, links to headings within the catalog and links to outside resources, the ability to display information quickly. The Web catalog has considerable flexibility that we have not yet learned to use to its full potential.

Contents
WebCat contains all electronic records for materials from libraries on all campuses as well as those from extra-systems libraries, such as the Archives of Traditional Music and the Kinsey Institute Library. For the first time since 1997, materials from IUPUI University Library, Herron School of Art Library, and the IUPU Columbus Library are included in the catalog.

Kinds of Searches
The Unicorn WebCat has three basic types of searches: Keyword, Browse, and Exact.
Keyword searches find words in fields within the record. They can find words in any area of the bibliographic record (keywords anywhere) or within a specific and related group of fields (author, title, periodical title, subject, medical subject, series). Operators can be used in a keyword search to find words that relate to one another, using Boolean logic (and, or, not, xor) or using their position (adj, same, with, near). If you do not type an operator in your search, "same" is inserted as the default operator. Keywords may be truncated by using the $ to fill in for many letters, or the ? to take the place of a single letter. Complex searches can be created using nesting techniques. Keyword searches can be limited by library, shelving location, collection, format, date and language, by using the Advanced search screen. Keyword searches result in a list of titles of materials in the library collection that match the search words.

Keyword searching techniques (Boolean Operators, Truncation, and Nesting)
Positional Operators
Limiting searches

Browse searches try to match your search terms with words at the beginning of headings or in titles. Browse searches may be limited by library, but no other operators or search limits can be used. A browse search results in a list of headings whose first words match the search terms entered. The user can select a heading to see a list of materials assigned that heading. The user may scroll backward to headings beginning with A or forward to headings beginning with Z. An Exact search is a type of browse search that results in a list of headings that exactly match the words entered.

Several special browse search indexes can be found in the WebCat. The first of these is the call number browse search. The others are the three searches found in the Reserves module: instructor, course number, and course name.

Search Indexes
Search indexes describe the MARC tags and subfields that are reviewed when one does a particular kind of search, from a general keyword index to an author browse search. The search indexes used in the WebCat are substantially the same as those used in the NOTIS and Horizon online catalogs. The tags and subfields displayed in a bibliographic record are the same as those displayed in the NOTIS and Horizon catalogs. In particular, the "Keyword Anywhere" search in WebCat is the same as the general keyword search in NOTIS and Horizon.

Search indexes have been created in all three types of searches for author, title, periodical title, series, subject (Library of Congress or local subjects), and medical subjects.

How the WebCat Differs from the NOTIS IUCAT
NOTIS IUCAT is a character-based system. It does not make hypertext links available to users to allow them to link to other resources in the catalog or to outside resources. In addition, the WebCat:

• Includes merged records
  
Bibliographic records for materials in most IU Libraries have been merged and the most recent record is displayed along with holdings for all of the libraries.
• Provides two new search types: periodical title and series.
• Allows users to limit all types of searches by library and to limit keyword searches by shelving location, collection, format, language and dates.
• Makes hypertext links from within the catalog to other headings in the catalog and to outside web resources.
• Includes browse searches rather than the more exact search of NOTIS. The browse search drops the user into a list of headings or terms that match the search terms entered.
• Provides a title "hit" list to take the place of the NOTIS index screen. WebCat has no guide screens. There is a brief view, a full view, and a view that contains most of the contents of the MARC tags as well as some information from the MARC record leader.
• Allows users to mark records to print.
• Allows users to print, download or email their search results.
• Lists all barcoded volumes of a multi-volume set or journal individually, rather than just those with an extraordinary status (such as checked out).
• Titles found are displayed as last in-first out order, unlike the reverse chronological order of keyword search results in NOTIS and the alphabetical order of author, title or subject searches. Search results (up to 999 hits) may be sorted by author, title, publication year (earliest to latest), and reverse publication year (most recent first) .
• Does not have a search history that allows searches to be built in increments, then combined.

How the WebCat Differs from the Horizon INDYCAT
INDYCAT is a home-grown web-based catalog. It includes browse searches for authors, title, and subjects, a periodical title search, hypertext links to outside web resources. WebCat differs from INDYCAT in the following ways:

• Provides one new search type: series
• Allows users to limit all types of searches by library and to limit keyword searches by shelving location, collection in addition to format, language and dates.
• Makes hypertext links from within the catalog to other headings in the catalog
• Provides a title "hit" list to take the place of the Horizon index screen. There is a brief view, a full view, and a view that contains most of the contents of the MARC tags as well as some information from the MARC record leader.
• Allows users to mark records to print.
• Allows users to print, download or email their search results.
• Lists all barcoded volumes of a multi-volume set or journal individually, rather than just those with an extraordinary status (such as checked out).
• Titles found are displayed as last in-first out order, unlike the reverse chronological order of keyword search results in Horizon and the alphabetical order of author, title or subject searches. Search results (up to 999 hits) may be sorted by author, title, publication year (earliest to latest), and reverse publication year (most recent first) .

What Records Have Been Merged?
The following libraries have their own separate records:

Archives of Traditional Music
Bloomington Law Library
Kinsey Institute Library
Lilly Library


The records for the Ruth Lilly School of Medicine Library and the School of Dentistry Library are combined into one.
All other libraries who own the same title share the same bibliographic record.