Open Collections

Abstract

This thesis reports a novel implementation of a library catalogue. The catalogue is designed as a three level hierarchy designed to capture the published structure of knowledge. A fourth level exists which links the bibliographic data of the top three levels to the actual physical copies of the described item. The catalogue is implemented on a micro-computer to provide a convenient method that small libraries could utilize as an on-line catalogue system. The limitations of the micro coupled with the rigorous demands of a library made the choice of storage structures a major issue of the implementation. The use of Prefix B-trees and Bit maps in the catalogue index are discussed in detail.