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Synopsis In implementing today's online catalogues, librarians are having to make complex decisions about catalogue user behaviour and needs. Even apparently simple choices, such as placing a subject search option before an author in an open menu, can have important implications for the user. Librarians accustomed to the traditional catalogue may find it very difficult to change from that perspective to recognised new needs and opportunities facing users of online catalogues. The purpose of this book is to put forward a case for developing the online catalogue's potential as an interactive retrieval tool for the library user. It is a call to consider the library catalogue first and foremost as a searching aid for information seekers in the wider context of the total library system.