CONTENTS
- January Release: New Home Page Designs Available for Viewing
- OCLC FirstSearch Interface Changes
- Compendex Plus Database Access to Change
- New Resources Update: Wiley and Institute of Physics Coming Soon
- Reminder: PREMEDLINE Goes Away December 1
- Request for Articles Test Begins
- For More Information
1. January Release: Tests and Mockups Available
With the January 5, 2000 "release" of CDL collections and services, several interface changes are scheduled. For example, the CDL home page will have a new look that will retain the basic elements of the current page and will provide continuity with the entire site; the CDL-hosted databases page will include a pull-down menu of external databases; the SearchLight multi-resource searching tool will debut; and the Alexandria Digital Library geospatial collection and interface will be made available as an experimental resource.Visit http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/jan2000. Mockups for all of these changes are available now and test versions of them will be made available starting November 3rd (with some test interfaces delayed until November 15th). While structured testing will be held for many of these resources, all library staff are encouraged to view, test, and comment upon them.
2. OCLC FirstSearch Interface Changes
OCLC has released the new FirstSearch service, which includes a new interface and many new features. OCLC will continue to add more features and databases. Please consult their Web site for an implementation schedule [http://www.oclc.org/oclc/fs_new/features.htm].A guided tour graphically illustrates the new features and how to use them [http://www.oclc.org/oclc/fs_new/guided_tour/index.htm].
On January 30, 2000, the current FirstSearch, Electronic Collections Online, and text-only interfaces will be discontinued.
If you are interested in receiving updates on the progress, you may subscribe to the FirstSearch-L and/or WebScript-L Internet lists at [http://www.oclc.org/oclc/forms/fs-list.htm].
Summary of the Changes:
- Single-search functionality -- Cross-database searching that allows users to view records for all databases searched, and retrieve full-text articles from the journals to which your campus provides access.
- Flexible search parameters -- Basic, advanced, and expert search capabilities including truncation, wildcard, thesaurus-aided searching, sort options, and relevance ranking.
- Multilingual capabilities -- English, French, and Spanish interfaces.
- Remote access -- Web, text only, or Z39.50 access, so users can search FirstSearch from home, school, or office.
Because OCLC re-indexed their databases for the new Firstsearch, the CDL is preparing to convert the Z39.50 Web and Telnet interfaces for WCAT, MLA Bibliography, ArtAbstracts, PAIS, RILM, PapersFirst, and for the Web interface for Books in Print in order to make them compatible with our Z39.50 clients. Specifications have been received from OCLC and work has begun on WCAT, ArtAbstracts, and Books in Print.
3. Compendex Plus Database Access to Change
Background
In December 1996, UC signed a favorable 6-year (6 years limited to CPI-based price increases) contract with Engineering Index (EI) to license the Compendex Plus database and to mount it locally within 27 months. Interim access was provided by EI subcontracting with SilverPlatter for 27 months' access on UC's behalf. The 27 months ended in March 1999.Many changes occurred during the intervening period. The CDL was created; digital content mushroomed; and the pace of technical and organizational change led to an indefinite hold on local mounting of additional databases. Also during this period EI refined its own Web site as a platform to deliver access to its databases (including Compendex Plus), and other engineering information. Discussions with EI of migrating off SilverPlatter began in the fall of 1998. Because the EI interface had not been satisfactory, EI offered to work with UC engineering librarians on improving it.
The STIC Task Force identified two UC librarians to evaluate the Compendex Web and advise EI on desired improvements to interfaces for both Compendex Web and EI Village. The report, written by Sharon Shaffer (LA) and Christy Hightower (SD) was distributed to the STIC Contacts in March, 1999. EI has been eager for and responsive to our comments and suggestions.
Access 2000
Because the CDL did not mount Compendex in the first 27 months of the continuing contract and the ability of EI to provide access via SilverPlatter is not indefinite, access to Compendex will be through the improved EI interface beginning in January 2000.To begin the transition to EI's product, EI has made both Compendex Web and EI Village available now to IP addresses for all campuses. They will be added to the Directory starting on Wednesday, November 3, 1999.
The URL for EI Village is: http://hood2.ei.org/eivill/plsql/village.serve_page?p=1280
The URL for Compendex Web is: http://hood2.ei.org/eivill/plsql/switch.main
There are advantages to migrating to EI's platform. They include:
- Access to licensed full content such as Elsevier's ScienceDirect journals via Engineering Direct (links to approximately 600 Elsevier journals available via EI Village).
- Access to abstracting and indexing for hundreds of additional titles via EI Page One, which was merged with the Compendex Web database. EI Page One is a table-of-contents database with approximately 2,800 additional titles indexed cover-to-cover. (There is some overlap with INSPEC, but INSPEC is not cover-to-cover.) Compendex Web is now the world's largest multidisciplinary engineering database with 5,000,000 records, growing at 500,000 new records each year.
- Online access to one of the world's largest collections of industry standards, specifications, and technical books via the CSSINFO Web site, which organizes an immense collection of industry standards from over 300 standards publishers, many of which are downloadable in PDF format.
EI will continue to work with UC librarians to enhance the interface. As you use the EI interface and EI Village, please direct comments to the EI Resource Liaison, Michele Potter (michelle.potter@ucr.edu).
4. New Resources Update: Wiley and Institute of Physics Coming Soon
Contracts are in negotiation now for licenses to John Wiley and Institute of Physics journal titles. Trial access with Wiley, with full expectation of continued access, is expected to start by November 10th. IoP access is also expected for November 10th. Direct access and availability through the CDL Directory will be announced via the CDLALERT-L listserv.5. Reminder: PREMEDLINE Going Away December 1, 1999
Remember that the Telnet PREMEDLINE database will not be available after December 1 of this year. PUBMED, which includes PREMEDLINE content is available via the National Library of Medicine's free site at [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/].6. Request for Articles Test Begins
Extending REQUEST to CDL-mounted journal-article databases is planned to debut with the January 2000 release of the CDL Directory. Testing of the service and its interface by PIR liaisons will commence this week. Outreach materials, which can be adapted to explain and promote the service, will be updated and made available later this month. Readers are reminded to check [http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/sharedcoll/projects/pir/] for more inormation.7. 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.