ASC Central Salesian Archive

Searching the catalogue, or the ASC Web OPAC

Go to https://search.archiviosalesiano.net/.

Search interface

above: the search interface.

The ASC Web OPAC is the evolution of the OPAC concept (Online Public Access Catalogue). In essence, the OPAC is the interface of the information system that allows the users of the archive (or, more usually, of libraries) to search and consult the catalogue of documents (books, periodicals, images, CDs, DVDs, etc.) that are stored and available. Before the digital age, catalogues were on paper cards. The OPAC first represented a fundamental technological leap, enabling automated searches on local computers; with the Internet, consultation expanded to remote searches. The main functions of an OPAC include:

  • Searching by fields such as author, recipient, title, year, etc.
  • Using boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to refine the query.
  • Displaying further detailed information on the records associated with the stored documents (location, classification code, item type…).

The search page allows free and universal access: no specific software needs to be installed. The catalogue is accessible from any device (PC, smartphone, tablet) with an Internet connection. Just go to https://search.archiviosalesiano.net/, set the selectors to filter the search and type in the key terms of interest.

The user interface is that of a smartphone app: more intuitive and easier to use than the old command-line systems. No user account is required. This OPAC, however, is not integrated with other resources. Advanced, complex Web OPACs are often linked to external databases, electronic periodicals or provide links to digital resources (for example, the same search also returns results on Wikipedia, Google Scholar, WorldCat). This one does not: it is limited to searching the private Salesian archive.

In several cases the items and documents provide a link to attachments of the catalogue and archival record — a copy in PDF, MP3, MP4, ISO, etc. But not all of them. Other records, protected by the archive’s regulations, can be consulted only on site by the staff. Sometimes they cannot be consulted at all.

So only part of the archival records is publicly reachable, and only part of these records is associated with a digital copy: it is an institutional choice of the ASC, which is a private archive.