Inside CDL
CDLINFO LISTSERV, May 16, 2000, Vol.3, No.6

CONTENTS

  1. July Release: Tests and Mockup Available
  2. New Listserv for Multi-Disciplinary Resources
  3. California Counts - Government Information Initiative
  4. International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) Meeting Summary
  5. Persistent Identifier Server
  6. Elsevier Printing Problems
  7. Co-Library Staff and New Arrivals
    1. California Counts
    2. Catherine Candee and Robin Chandler
  8. For More Information
    1. CDL News
    2. Contacts for Questions or Problems
    3. Information about CDLINFO

1. July Release: Tests and Mockup Available

Tests and Mockups for the CDL's semi-annual release of new features and enhancements are now available at: [http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/july2000/]. This page contains the most up-to-date information and links to test versions. All library staff are encouraged to view, test, and comment on the changes.

NOTE: This page will be continually updated during the test period.

Timeline for the July release

  • May 16, 2000: Test version ready (note: not all features will be ready for testing on this date)
  • June 15, 2000: Last day for comments (please send comments or suggestions to cdl@www.cdlib.org)
  • July 19, 2000: Release Date

The release will include the following items:

My Library - A prototype of a customization tool that will provide users with the ability to organize frequently used information resources in a personally meaningful way. [Test site will be available in July; this will NOT be a production version]

CDL Web Site - Re-organization of the CDL Collections and Services page (http://www.cdlib.org/collections/) and the CDL Search page (http://www.cdlib.org/srch/)

CDL Directory - A "No Results Page" will be created that suggests alternative search options for zero results searches.

SearchLight - Enhancements to the interim search screen and results page. The remaining databases originally supported in Database Advisor will be added.

CDL-hosted Databases - links to holdings for books and other monographs in BIOSIS, INSPEC, and PsycINFO; links to Digital Dissertations from the Melvyl Catalog and PsycINFO; and the Online and Print Access displays will be standardized across databases.


2. New Listserv for Multi-Disciplinary Resources

The CDL has created the listserv, GENRES-L, to facilitate discussion regarding multi-disciplinary resources. Any UC staff member can sign-on to the list.

There are a variety of existing methods of communication for databases that are of interest to specific groups, such as Chairs and Conveners of UC Bibliographer Groups, topic specific lists such as the SciFinder Technical contacts, the Social Sciences group, the campus selector groups lists, etc.

However, there is no UC-wide group in place for monitoring, testing, and information dissemination for multi-disciplinary databases such as WorldCat, Web of Science, Current Contents, etc.

Since multi-disciplinary resources are of interest to many in the UC community (collection development people, e.g., bibliographers, as well as public service staff, e.g., Reference desk or Information desk staff) the CDL has created GENRES-L@ucop.edu.

This list will serve as a method of disseminating information about general interest databases and as a mechanism for recruiting testers from a wide variety of library staff. Items about general resources that are appropriate for CDL Alert and CDLINFO will continue to appear as usual. The Resource Liaisons for the multi-disciplinary databases, the Users Council members from the UC campuses, and CDL staff are already on the GENRES-L list.

To subscribe to the list:
Send the following line to listserv@listserv.ucop.edu:
SUBSCRIBE GENRES-L (your name)

For example: SUBSCRIBE GENRES-L Rita Book


3. California Counts - Government Information Initiative

California Counts, Phase I of the Government Information Initiative (highlighted in December 7, 1999 CDLINFO: http://www.cdlib.org/news/cdlinfo/cdlinfo120799.html#2) is underway. The CDL obtained a portion of the funding for the California Counts prototype through an interagency agreement with the California State Library (CSL).

A prototype will be available to users in January 2001. The prototype will contain a variety of data and user tools that will illustrate the value and future potential of California Counts.

CDL appointed a diverse multi-campus project team with participants from inside and outside the UC libraries. Patricia Cruse, CDL, is the project manager and along with technical staff at CDL, team members include:

  • Ilona Einowski, Social Science Data Archivist, UC Data (UCB)
  • Marsha Fanshier, Programmer/Analyst, Social Sciences and Humanities Library, UC San Diego
  • Juri Stratford, Government Information Librarian, Government Information and Maps, UC Davis

For more information on California Counts see:http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/countingcalifornia/


4. International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) Meeting Summary

Beverlee French and Laine Farley recently attended the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC, formerly known as Consortium of Consortia or COC) meeting on behalf of the CDL. ICOLC is devoted largely to consortial licensing of content but also to principles, practices, and other activities of library consortia. Thorough reports by Ann Okerson on sessions plus slides from most presentations are available at: http://silver.ohiolink.edu/ioclc/orlandoapril2000.html.

Of particular note are the presentations on "Cross Ref" by Dale Flecker and "Journal Linking - Appropriate Copy solution" by Herbert von Sompel. Although the dynamic, algorithmic linking devised by the CDL works well from our locally mounted databases to publisher platforms, the "appropriate copy" issue looms large when references are from one article to another or from an external database to full-text on multiple servers. Consortial borrowing software vendors comprised part of this program and are of particular interest to current efforts of the Request Project Team.


5. Persistent Identifier Server

The CDL Technologies group is working with the Shared Cataloging staff at UC San Diego (the "DISC" unit: Digital Information and Serials Cataloging - http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/disc/) to establish a prototype persistent identifier server. The advent of Shared Cataloging highlighted the urgency of the TFER recommendation to establish and pilot the use of such a server. Additional uses will be implemented through a broader consultative process. Persistent identifiers use a database to associate the URL for a resource with a permanent ID. If the URL changes, the database can be updated to reflect the new location and associate it with the persistent ID. While references to the old URL will give the dreaded '404 - File not found' error, references to the persistent identifier will still work.

The CDL server is currently using Purl software from OCLC. More information on Purl, as well as general information on persistent identifiers, can be found at http://purl.oclc.org. More information on the technical aspects of this project can be obtained from Ken Weiss, CDL Technologies, ken.weiss@ucop.edu. Kathy Adams, Assistant Unit Head of DISC, kadams@ucsd.edu, can provide more information on the application of persistent IDs to the shared cataloging efforts.


6. Elsevier Printing Problems

Some Windows users have experienced problems when printing articles from Elsevier titles. Solid black circles (of varying size) appear (seemingly at random) and obliterate the text on one or more pages within an article. The circles do not appear when viewing the text online.

The fix is simple, use the most recent Windows version (4.05) of Adobe's Acrobat Reader when printing. This is available at no cost from Adobe at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Please share this information with your colleagues.


7. Co-Library Staff and New Arrivals

a. California Counts
California Counts welcomes Ilona Einowski based at UCB, Marsha Fanshier based at UCSD, and Juri Stratford based at UCD. For more information on California Counts see: http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/countingcalifornia/
b. Catherine Candee and Robin Chandler
Catherine Candee, Director of Scholarly Communication Initiatives, and Robin Chandler Manager of the Online Archive of California (OAC), have arrived. Learn more about the Scholarly Communication Initiatives at: http://escholarship.cdlib.org/ and about OAC at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/.

8. For More Information

a. CDL News
Several items of interest, including "Milestones," "Highlights 1997-1998," "What's New," and previous issues of CDLINFO are posted on the CDL web site (http://www.cdlib.org/) under News and Developments. Please share news of this resource with your colleagues!

Remember also that reports, working documents, and status information of particular interest to library staff, are all available at http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/.

b. Contacts for Questions or Problems
If you have problems accessing or using the system or have questions, including questions about the status of electronic journal collections and Internet resources, you can contact CDL staff in one of the following ways:
  • For immediate assistance, call the CDL Helpline at (510) 987-0555. Callers with TDD equipment, please call 1-800-735-2929 in California for the telephone relay operator.
  • Send an e-mail message to cdl@www.cdlib.org.
  • Click on "News" at http://www.dbs.cdlib.org/ (also known as http://www.melvyl.ucop.edu) for information about system outages, problems with particular databases, the status of a resource, etc.

For information about whether your UC campus has access to a particular electronic journal or Internet resource, contact your local collection development officer.

c. Information about CDLINFO

CDLINFO is designed to inform UC Librarians, and the UC community, about the progress of the CDL, policy issues under discussion, and newly available electronic resources. We hope that subscribers from the UC libraries will pass on selected information from the newsletter to faculty, staff, and students on their campuses, as appropriate. More complete information about the CDL, as well as the Directory of Collections and Services which leads to digital resources, is available at the CDL website at http://www.cdlib.org.

Eligible subscribers: UC library employees

To subscribe for email distribution: Please send the following line to listserv@listserv.ucop.edu: SUBSCRIBE CDLINFO-L (your name)

CDLINFO is also published on the web at http://www.cdlib.org/news/cdlinfo/

Frequency of publication: Biweekly, or as new information warrants.

Communicating with the Listserv: While the CDL Listserv does not accept submissions, subscribers are encouraged to send suggestions, thoughts, and comments on material in the Listserv or on related issues to the CDL at cdl@www.cdlib.org.