What Our Screens Should Look Like: An Introduction to Effective OPAC Screens.

The interface is a crucial point in the success and satisfac tion of patrons, but designing effective screens is a role with which librarians may not feel comfortable. This article gathers from scattered and often specialized sources the most basic principles and presents these with rationale and practical checklists, so that librarians at all levels can ap proach the screen design process with some confidence. It discusses the physical screen and general principles; menus, commands, inquiry screens, and messages; and finally, organizational considerations.