Provider: OCLC (Online Computer Library Center)
Browsable index: Yes, but only after a specified search term is
entered
Search capabilities: Yes
Item submission method: Human, by library catalogers
Editorial function: Yes
Annotated: Yes
FAQ: Yes,for the product (on the home page under "InterCAT Home
Page".) No, for the searching system.
OCLC's InterCAT is a volunteer effort on the part of librarians all over the world to catalog Internet resources using MARC (machine readable cataloging) records. As such, it is as much an experiment in cataloging as it is in providing Internet resources, and since it is not easy to use, may be of interest primarily to librarians. Records are searchable by title words or phrases, author, subject words or phrases, and type of electronic access method. A "basic" search will scan entire records for keywords. After you have entered a search term, an inverted index of keywords can be used to browse the catalog.
Records contain descriptive information, access methods, computer system details of the resource and, in most cases, hypertext links. Because of the nature of the cataloging effort, InterCAT resources are eclectic, and tend to be high-level academic in nature. This project is funded partly by the U.S. Department of Education and ends March 31, 1996. However, the catalog will remain publicly available after that date. Note that you must click on "Logon" to use the catalog, but there is no need to enter a logon name or password.