Research Notes User Characteristics of Keyword Searching in an OPAC

on online public access catalogs ( OPACs), and questions have arisen regarding their use by library patrons. Which patrons use keyword searching, and which do not? This study attempts to begin providing answers to this question in the context of an academic library that uses the Northwestern Online Total Integrated System (NOTIS) online catalog. Ill any Northwestern Online Total Integrated System (NOTIS) li-braries that had their online catalog available prior to the advent of keyword searching tended to look upon the capability as a frill, an advanced function to be taught after other forms of searching. This neglect was en-couraged initially by slow response time for keyword searches, by questions about how many people could use key-word simultaneously, and by the complex