BookWhere? 2000 is a library search program for Windows 95/NT computers. It comes pre-configured to search about 300 online library catalogues world-wide which use the Z39.50 protocol for managing library records, a protocol which research libraries are using in increasing numbers (for more on Z39.50, see Chorus's background note). If your local library is not on BookWhere? 2000’s list of searchable libraries, but allows network access, chances are good that you can add your library to your personal copy of BookWhere? 2000 simply by giving it the telnet address for your library catalogue. If your library catalogue requires it, you can configure BookWhere? 2000 to supply a userid and password. The BookWhere? 2000 also maintains configuration information for additional catalogues at its website.

BookWhere? 2000 will access your library catalogue, or several library catalogues simultaneously. It will retrieve records according to your search specifications and display your search in three separate panes: as the full text of the library record, in short form alphabetically by primary author, and by catalogue subject headings. Viewing individual items is as simple as clicking on the primary author’s name in the short form list. If you wish to view only a particular subject category, click on the subject category, and BookWhere? 2000 will display records for that category only.

View 1 on the right shows a completed author search of two library catalogues. If the configuration for any library includes the library’s web page URL, the URL will be displayed in each full record window, and it will activate your web browser if clicked. BookWhere? 2000 also treats all items in all subject and author fields as hyperlinks. Clicking on any highlighted item will initiate a new search using the hyperlinked item as the search term.

Search queries can be constructed in two ways, called by the software "simple" and "power" searches. Simple searches allow single search terms in the author, title, subject, and keywords fields, and combinations of all four fields. In addition, any of the allowable Z39.50 fields can be searched in the same way. There are dozens of such fields--too many to include in a brief review--but they include items like place of publication, publisher, ISBN number, local accession number, call number, document editor, abstract, and so on. If your library catalogue allows you to page through its whole catalogue, BookWhere? 2000 also supports this option.

Power searches allow the same options as simple searches, but search terms can be chained together using the boolean search operators AND, OR, and NOT. Either type of BookWhere? 2000 search is potentially more powerful than searches normally allowed by most online catalogue terminals.

The search capabilities of BookWhere? 2000 are probably more powerful than the average library user needs. But librarians will find these search capabilities useful. Since retrieved records can be saved in pure MARC-tagged format, libraries can download and save records and save on the surprisingly high cost of hand keying MARC records (our librarians estimate that it costs the library about $30 to key a single MARC record). Finally, Inter-Library Loans departments which do not subscribe to OCLC can search hundreds of libraries simultaneously. But don't try this at home. If you initiate a search of every online catalogue in the BookWhere? 2000 list using a 28K modem, go out and have nice dinner while you wait for the search to complete.