"Canned Answers": A&I Transition and Vendor Interface Issues
Following are responses to the kinds of recurrent inquiries CDL receives regarding the retirement of the CDL-hosted databases (in general) and specific aspects of the various vendor interfaces. Feel free to "cut and paste", and to adapt to your needs.
Note: Some of the answers to vendor interface issues include search examples in order to more clearly demonstrate the search technique or responses to a specific problem identified by the database user. You may want to change the examples to utilize your patron's search criteria instead.
General Information on the A&I transition
Who made the decision to retire the CDL-hosted databases?The CDL is working closely with many groups staffed by campus and CDL persons. The primary group overseeing the implementation process is the Transition Steering Committee, which has a member from each UC campus. In addition, the CDL is working closely with the Campus Resource Liaisons for the CDL-hosted databases in conducting vendor analysis. Resource Liaisons are campus library staff; each liaison is assigned a resource for which she/he provides leadership in monitoring, evaluating, and vendor relations on behalf of the UC system.
How/why was the decision to do this made?
Because of the Melvyl Catalog's aging underlying technology, enhancements in web-based service delivery, and changes in the vendor marketplace, the CDL took the opportunity to investigate better integration and service levels for the Melvyl Catalog and abstracting and indexing (A&I) journal and periodical databases. A Request for Proposals (RFP) to replace underlying technology and enhance the A&I databases, the Melvyl Catalog, and their user interfaces, resulted in the decision to choose one vendor for the catalog, and to investigate several A&I database vendors for journal article abstracting and indexing. The new systems will result in enhanced services for our users.
Faculty, students and library staff across the campuses have been broadly consulted on these initiatives from the early planning stages. Project planners continue to seek advice from Campus Senate Committees on Libraries and Systemwide Senate officers. UC's faculty-led Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee (SLASIAC, http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/ ), and the University Librarians have endorsed these changes. Over 4,000 library users-students, faculty and staff-participated in an initial survey to guide the CDL in the analysis and prioritization of the necessary and desirable features for a new system for the Melvyl Catalog and CDL-hosted databases. Consultation with users on design and usability issues will continue through implementation.
More detailed information can be found at http://www.cdlib.org/news/cdlhosteddatabases.html
How were the particular vendor interfaces chosen?
The decisions as to which vendor to choose were based on pre-established principles, such as the ability to provide as many databases under as few interfaces as possible; the ability to cluster subject area databases (e.g., social sciences, sciences) with a single vendor as much as possible; the availability of more electronic full text from one vendor as opposed to another; the readiness and willingness of vendors to use the new linking service, UC-eLinks, to link to electronic full text, to library records, and to Request (Interlibrary Loan); the ability to support current awareness services such as CDL's Update; the ability to download citations into bibliographic citation management software; the ability to provide users with unlimited ports, so users would never be turned away from a database, as is still the case with some of our vendors; the ability to influence vendor functionality enhancements based on input from users; reliability and responsiveness of the vendor, based on past CDL and campus experience.
In spite of these principles, there are instances in which there is no "perfect" vendor nor a "perfect" interface. In these cases, a decision has been made to select the best available vendor.
Accessing vendor databases from behind corporate firewalls
Access to the vendor versions of databases by campus proxy servers works well for most end-users. We realize that access from behind a firewall can be problematic. You might want to try checking with the proxy server administration at your campus or with the IT professionals at your location for suggestions.
"Connecting" to vendor databases with EndNote, ProCite, etc.
Because many end-users have expressed interest in being able to "connect" to the vendor versions of the databases from non-campus locations, CDL has investigated this possibility via a Z39.50 proxy server. This type of proxy server is in addition to the proxy server your campus already administers (for off-site access to electronic resources). The Z39.50 proxy server would need to be implemented by your campus and would allow end-users to connect and search vendor versions of the databases in the same way that you can do now with the CDL-hosted versions of the databases.*
CDL has informed the Library Technology Advisory Group (LTAG) about this proxy, and has offered to provide instructions and the software required to set up a server. At the present time, your campus has not opted to do this. It could be that end-users who utilize EndNote's Connect feature need to express the importance of this feature to the LTAG representative for their campus.
* Note: In several cases, the new vendor interfaces do not work as well as the CDL-hosted databases with Z39.50. Consequently, using the bibliographic software's "connect" search feature is not recommended when comprehensive search results are desired.
For more information, see Using Citation Management Software with Vendor Databases .
Ovid interface issues
User Guides are available on the Adaptable Outreach and Instructional Materials web page.Ovid databases include BIOSIS Previews, Current Contents, Ei Compendex*Plus, INSPEC, and MLA International Bibliography.
Multiple-index searching
Methods for searching multiple indexes in one search include:- Combination searches which include multiple criteria can be done using Ovid's command-line search feature in which the various search terms along with the appropriate field indicators are entered directly into the search input box. For example, a search for an article by Author bohn, c and with non-linear filtering algorithms in the Title and published in 2000 can be searched by entering bohn, c.au AND non-linear filtering.ti AND 2000.yr into one of Ovid's search input boxes. Then, press the Perform Search button. This search quickly and efficiently retrieves 1 record in the INSPEC database. (You can see the fields available for searching by clicking on the Search Fields button at the top of any Ovid screen.)
- Additionally, if you don't want to bother with the various search codes used in a command-line search, you can replicate the same results by conducting each piece of the search separately using Ovid's standard search interface and then use the Combine feature to combine all the search results together.
- Finally, the Basic search form includes the most commonly searched indexes; switch to this mode by clicking on the Basic button at the top of the web page.
Keyword (and Title word) search processing
The reason that your keyword search differs in results is that CDL's keyword search assumes an "and" between the search terms. Consequently, a CDL INSPEC search for keyword bragg mmi is really a search for keyword bragg and mmi.
However, the default search in the Ovid interface is an Advanced search. In the Advanced search mode, the search terms are not automatically "and"ed together. Rather, the search terms are searched as a phrase. Phrase searching (or adjacency searching) and proximity searching are two features that have been very much requested by our end-users. The ability to perform these types of searches allows for more precise searching.
In order to replicate CDL's "and"ed searching, you can:
- If you want to search with the "and" implied between the search terms, you can do this in Ovid's Basic search mode. Click on the Basic icon at the top of the screen to switch search modes.
- Additionally, in the Advanced search mode, just enter the word "and" between your two search terms. So, in the Keyword box in the Advanced search mode, you would enter bragg and mmi. This search quickly retrieves 5 records... the same 5 records that you retrieve from a search on CDL's version of INSPEC.
Author searching
The most flexible search of the Ovid interface is via their command-line search feature. You can conduct a command-line search by entering the search terms followed by a field label. You can create combination Boolean searches by entering AND, NOT, OR between the search terms. For example, at any Ovid input box you can enter smith jc.au AND jones da.au to quickly retrieve the same record in Ovid's Current Contents as is found in the CDL-hosted version of Current Contents. The only real difference is that Ovid's version won't search smith AND jones as authors (in the command-line search) without their first initials being included as part of the search.
CDL continues to work with the database providers to implement enhancements to the vendor’s interface that have been identified as important/extremely desirable by UC faculty, staff, and students. We have passed on to Ovid’s management that the ability to search all variations of an author’s name (in the command-line mode) and/or the ability to select all check boxes simultaneously for all variations of an author’s name in the Authors Index Display is a very important feature for UC end-users.
Change Database feature
The Ovid interface allows you to simultaneously search any or all of the Ovid databases available to UC in one search. You can do this using the Change Database feature. For example, it is now possible to search INSPEC, Compendex, and Current Contents in one search; this functionality was not available in the CDL-hosted version of these databases.
CC database: dates of coverage differ
One of the reasons that the search results are not the same in the CDL-hosted version of Current Contents and Ovid's version is that the CDL-hosted version contains records that were indexed beginning in July 1989. Ovid's version of Current Contents includes records that were indexed beginning in July 1993. You'll find that the difference in these years explains the differing search results when doing the same search in both systems.
The reason that the Ovid version only begins in 1993 is that ISI (the Institute for Scientific Information) who produces the Current Contents database considers this to be a "current awareness" database. Consequently, they do not make backfiles available to other vendors. Pre-1993 data can be searched in ISI's Web of Science interface. UC faculty, staff, and students can search this data at http://www.webofscience.com/ .
CC database: Subject Category and Subset searching
Although not exactly the same as limiting a search to the Subject Categories in CDL's version of Current Contents, you can do the same type of search using Ovid's CC Subset to limit your search terms. On Ovid's version of Current Contents, enter your search term using the command-line syntax and then enter the CC subset you want to limit your search to followed by the subset indicator (.sb).
For example, if you were interested in searching for articles with mad cow in the Title and wanted to limit this search to the agri (Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences) subset, you would enter mad cow.ti and agri.sb in any input box. Then press the Perform Search button.
Additionally, from the Tools options menu, you can search CC Categories; click the Tools button at the top of the page and follow the directions. You can also browse the Tables of Contents of journals by CC Subset or CC Category. Click on the Browse Contents button at the top of the page and then press either the TOC CC Subset or TOC CC Category button.
BIO database: dates of coverage differ/one database searching
One definite advantage to Ovid's version of BIOSIS is that this can be searched as one database covering 1969 - present while CDL's version must be searched as separate databases (BIOSIS Previews 1993-2002 and BIOSIS Previews 1985-2001).
CSA interface issues
User Guides are available on the
Adaptable Outreach and Instructional Materials web page.
CSA databases include ERIC, GeoRef, PAIS
International, PsycINFO, Social Services Abstracts,
and Sociological Abstracts.
PSYC db: author searching
The difference in the results for an Author search in CDL's and CSA's version of PsycINFO is based on the way the different interfaces process an Author search.
In CDL's version of PsycINFO, an Author search using the format <last name>, <first initial/middle initial> is processed with (unseen) truncation. So a search for Author Post, RB would retrieve all articles by RB Post, Robert B. Post and, if applicable, Randy Boyes Post, Rascal Bobcat Post, etc. Currently, an Author search for RB Post in CDL's PsycINFO retrieves 41 records.
However, in CSA's version of PsycINFO, an Author search is processed searching only the information you enter. So, an Author search for Post, RB retrieves only 7 records; those articles authored only by RB Post. If you use CSA's Advanced search and do an Author search for Post RB [or] Post, Robert B. (which is the equivalent of CDL's search using the unseen truncation), you will retrieve articles by RB Post or by Robert B. Post. This search retrieves 41 records--the same 41 records retrieved in CDL's PsycINFO.
PSYC db: keyword searching / thesaurus implications
The real difference in numbers between CDL's implementation of PsycINFO and CSA's is that a Keyword search in CDL's version automatically includes the results from any match of terms in PsycINFO's Thesaurus. In the case of the keyword "Latinos", CDL's interface automatically includes the Thesaurus match and retrieves all records with the word "Hispanics" in any of the fields indexed for keyword searching. You can tell this by looking at some of the records that a keyword Latinos search retrieves in CDL's interface. You'll see that many of these records do not include the keyword "Latinos" at all. Rather, these records have been retrieved on the keyword Hispanics.
Currently, in CDL's implementation of PsycINFO, a keyword search for "Latinos" retrieves 6,563 records. In CSA's implementation of PsycINFO, if you use the Advanced Search mode and search for keyword Latinos OR keyword Hispanics (the equivalent of CDL's version automatically searching and retrieving the matching thesaurus term), you retrieve 7,028 records...even more than CDL's version.
PSYC db: keyword search processing
The difference in the overall numbers for a keyword search is based on how keywords are searched, in their respective databases. In CDL's version, more than one keyword is searched with an "and" between the terms. So in CDL's version, a keyword search for "paradoxical techniques" is really a search for the word paradoxical and the word techniques appearing in any of the fields indexed for a Keyword search in any one record. Note that these two words do not necessarily display together.
However, in CSA's version, two or more keywords are searched as a phrase search. This means that "paradoxical techniques" must display together in any of the fields indexed for a Keyword search in any one record. This provides for a more relevant search than CDL's search does!
ProQuest interface issues
User Guides are available on the Adaptable Outreach and Instructional Materials web page.ProQuest databases include ABI/INFORM Global.
Marking citations
We have conveyed to ProQuest (the providers of the ABI/INFORM Global database) the importance of the ability to mark records by entering a range of records into an input box rather than by check-marking each record individually. It is our understanding that they are considering this suggestion as a future interface enhancement.
Download/exporting abstracts with citations
At the present time, the ability to download and/or export abstracts along with the article citations is not possible in ProQuest's ABI/INFORM Global interface. We have conveyed to ProQuest the importance of this feature. It is our understanding that the inclusion of the abstracts in downloaded citations is currently planned for ProQuest's 6.1 (interface) release, scheduled for Dec. 2002. In the meantime, you'll need to manually "cut and paste" the abstract information into your bibliographic software program if you want to retain this.