SUNCAT interface previewed at UKSG

Preview of the new SUNCAT website.

The new SUNCAT interface was demonstrated at the 36th Annual UKSG Conference held in Bournemouth in April.

Some of the key features are:

• The home page brings together service information, the search box, a map showing all the Contributing Libraries and a feed of the latest news
• There are greatly improved search limiting facilities. For example, searching can be limited to:
  • a specific library or selection of libraries
  • a specific location or selection of locations
  • any combination of the above
  • electronic or print serials: this is helpful if the searcher only wants to see what might be immediately available online or conversely wants to see only material likely to be available via Inter-Library Loan
• Only the holdings for the libraries or locations specified are displayed
• More sophisticated searching is available via the Advanced Search option
• There is filtering of search results by library, location, subject, organisation, publisher, date etc
• Users can choose how many records to display on the search results screen
• Further information about each library is provided, including directions, contact details, British Library code and when it was last updated in SUNCAT

The new look SUNCAT was made available for a preview period of around six weeks and those who made visits were invited to answer a short survey to ascertain their views. The responses are currently being analysed and will be used to help improve the new look. More detailed information on the release of the new service will be provided on the service blog:

• SUNCAT Blog