{{short description|Online catalogue for books}} {{Infobox website | name = Consortium of Online Public Access Catalogues (COPAC) | logo = File:Jisc_logo.png | logo_caption = Copac was funded by Jisc, to deliver a service to the UK community on the basis of an agreement with Research Libraries UK (RLUK) | url = {{website defunct|1=copac.jisc.ac.uk}} | commercial = | type = Union catalogue<br />Bibliographic database | language = English | owner = {{ubl|Jisc|Research Libraries UK}} | launch_date = <!--{{ ??? }}--> | current_status = Superseded by Library Hub Discover }} '''Copac''' (originally an acronym of Consortium of Online Public Access Catalogues) was a union catalogue which provided free access to the merged online catalogues of many major research libraries and specialist libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland, plus the British Library, the National Library of Scotland and the National Library of Wales.<ref name="new">{{cite journal |url=http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/copac/ |title=COPAC: The New Nationally Accessible Union Catalogue |last=Cousins |first=Shirley |journal=Ariadne |year=1997 |issue=8 |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505105555/http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/copac/ |archive-date=May 5, 2021}}</ref> It had over 40 million records<ref name="copac_about"/> from around 90 libraries as of 2019,<ref name="discover" /> representing a wide range of materials across all subject areas. Copac was freely available to all,<ref name="copac_about">{{cite web|url=http://copac.ac.uk/about|title=About Copac|first=Copac service|last=(Jisc)|website=copac.ac.uk}}</ref> and was widely used, with users mainly coming from Higher Education institutions in the United Kingdom, but also worldwide.<ref name="copac_survey">{{cite web|url=http://blog.copac.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/02/Copac-User-Survey-November-2014.pdf|author=Anon|year=2014|title=Copac User Survey|website=blog.copac.ac.uk}}</ref> Copac was valued by users as a research tool.<ref name="copac_survey"/>
Copac was searchable through with a web browser or Z39.50 client. It was also accessible through OpenURL and Search/Retrieve via URL (SRU) interfaces.<ref name=eves>{{cite web|url=http://copac.ac.uk/developers|title=Copac for Developers|first=Copac service|last=(Jisc)|website=copac.ac.uk|access-date=2015-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608060533/http://copac.ac.uk/developers/|archive-date=2015-06-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> These interfaces could be used to provide links to items on Copac from external sites, such as those used on the Institute of Historical Research website.<ref name=isbneg>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.ac.uk/history-online/book/isbn/0195131010|title=Saints in Exile – History On-line|website=www.history.ac.uk|access-date=2015-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327084229/http://www.history.ac.uk/history-online/book/isbn/0195131010|archive-date=2018-03-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Copac was a Jisc service provided for the UK community on the basis of an agreement with Research Libraries UK (RLUK).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://copac.ac.uk|title=Copac National, Academic and Specialist Library Catalogue|first=Copac service|last=(Jisc)|website=copac.ac.uk}}</ref> The service used records supplied by RLUK members, as well as an increasing range of specialist libraries with collections of national research interest. A full list of contributors is available<ref name="copac_libraries">{{cite web|url=http://copac.ac.uk/about/libraries|title=Libraries on Copac|first=Copac service|last=(Jisc)|website=copac.ac.uk}}</ref> including the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Middle Temple library and Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Library.<ref name=copac_about/><ref name="CousinsMassam2016">{{cite journal|last1=Cousins|first1=Shirley|last2=Massam|first2=Diana|title=Copac developments and the Copac Collection Management service|journal=Interlending & Document Supply|volume=44|issue=1|year=2016|pages=17–19|issn=0264-1615|doi=10.1108/ILDS-11-2015-0036}}</ref>
In July 2019, Jisc replaced COPAC with Library Hub Discover.<ref name="discover">{{cite web |url=https://aberdeenunilib.com/2019/07/29/use-jisc-library-hub-discover-to-search-all-uk-university-and-national-libraries-at-once/ |title=Use Jisc Library Hub Discover to search all UK University and National Libraries at once |date=July 28, 2019 |website=University of Aberdeen |access-date=January 21, 2023 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202033749/https://aberdeenunilib.com/2019/07/29/use-jisc-library-hub-discover-to-search-all-uk-university-and-national-libraries-at-once/ |archive-date=December 2, 2020}}</ref><ref name="JLHD">{{cite web |title=Jisc Library Hub Discover |url=https://discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/ |website=discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk |access-date=31 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="goodbye">{{cite web |url=https://libraryservices.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2019/06/sunset/ |title=Nearly time to say...'"goodbye Copac and SUNCAT!" |last=Grindley |first=Neil |date=June 16, 2019 |website=Jisc Library services |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207093405/https://libraryservices.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2019/06/sunset/ |archive-date=December 7, 2021}}</ref>
==See also== * OPAC * SUNCAT * Talis Group
==References== {{reflist|35em}}
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Category:Academic libraries in the United Kingdom Category:Bibliographic databases and indexes Category:Databases in the United Kingdom Category:Higher education in the United Kingdom Category:Jisc Category:Library cataloging and classification Category:Online databases