Through a special, one-time offer, PALINET (our OCLC regional network agency) is making available at a 50% discount the back-file of the Academic Press IDEAL database. The IDEAL database emphasizes the natural and social sciences, business, math and computer science; 174 journals are indexed, with 135 available in full-text. Originally covering articles from 1996 to the present, the back-file will add three years of full-text articles going back to 1993. Articles may be searched by author, title, subject, or content. Information about Academic Press journals, as well as submission requirements for articles, is also available.

No doubt you have already noticed the new Web interface following a recent redesign of the database. You can now begin searching immediately from the opening screen, or browse the list of journals. You can also register to automatically receive Table of Contents of your favorite journals. (See "Utility" section on the opening screen).

To access IDEAL, select the shortcut icon at the bottom of the Library’s home page:

It seems that many of our subscription service vendors decided to reorganize their databases at the same time – and it all happened this past semester! In addition to the IDEAL database, three other online subscription services changed formats within the last three months: Expanded Academic Index ASAP (EAI), Lexis-Nexis, and ABI/Inform.

In all cases, searching has been facilitated by the changes, and ‘next steps’ and searching options are more logically presented.

From the opening screen, Expanded Academic Index (EAI) allows you to limit your search to full text articles, to refereed journals, to specific dates, and to specific journals. Search options are now listed on the left of the screen instead of at the top and are thereby accessible from anywhere on the screen. After an initial search another menu appears from which you can again limit your search, search the backfile of the database without rekeying your terms, view "marked" records, or perform other functions.

Lexis-Nexis has implemented more dramatic changes by reorganizing its opening screen selections into just five broad categories (instead of the ten or so in the previous version). Choose News, Business, Legal Research, Medical, or Reference. Sub-menus are presented within each category that provide more guidance to specific content areas. The menu on the left permits jumping to another category at any time during a search.

To improve searching in the News category, users should specify phrases as follows: john w/3 kennedy jr (in Keyword) and add additional terms to narrow the search in the second box. A very nice feature is the ability to search specific newspapers by typing a headline in the keyword box, and specifying, e.g., the New York Times in the ‘additional terms’ box. Each category has a link to the full list of sources from which the information is obtained, so users can see at a glance if a certain periodical, newspaper or other document is included.

ABI/Inform permits basic or advanced searching from the opening screen, but the initial search now defaults to articles published from 1997 forward. From here you can also choose to search by word or by publication. Drop-down menus provide options to search the backfile, to choose publication type, or search citations and abstracts or full text. The ‘search wizard’ on the right gives helpful hints for searching; the ‘subject list’ provides an online thesaurus of terms; and ‘your recent searches’ gives your search history.

For the most part, the new features reduce the number of steps necessary in conducting online searches and make the selection of searching options much easier. If there is a downside, it would appear that the improvements have resulted in increased response time. Or the network could simply be overloaded…. Or I could just be getting older and much more impatient….

Having received requests from several students, the Library recently installed four ‘trickle down’ computers and a printer, generously provided by the Computing Services Center. The requests came following the relocation of the Computer Lab from the Library to Degenstein Campus Center this past summer. The computers are available for general use by students who wish to type papers in the Library while using non-circulating materials (such as Reference books and periodicals). The computers are located in the Index Reference Area of the Library, adjacent to the Reference Collection. Use of these computers has been steady. Library staff would like to thank the IT staff for their prompt assistance in making the computers available, and Physical Plant staff for installing the necessary cabling.

Kathy Dalton recently presented a brief training session for Library staff on searching the new online catalog iLink. Here are some of her tips for successful searching:

• KEYWORD and SEARCH EVERYTHING is the default search mechanism. If no other form is specified (e.g., author, title, etc.) terms will be searched in all fields of the bibliographic record.

• Entries in most searches are retrieved in reverse chronological order, with latest dates appearing first.

• Choosing BROWSE and SUBJECT will place you in a subject list, with entries retrieved in alphabetical order.

• An EXACT and TITLE search is useful when looking for a book, periodical or video by its exact title.

• Terms connected by AND, e.g., Egyptian and art, are retrieved from all data fields in the record, but not necessarily from the same field.

• Phrases with no connectors, e.g., Egyptian art, will retrieve entries having both terms in the same field (title field, subject, etc.)

• Egypt$ and Art$ will retrieve all variations of both words.

• Key words and an author’s last name will retrieve a particular title: e.g., Egyptian and art and Thomas; terms are culled from several fields and brings up The American Discovery of ancient Egypt by Nancy Thomas, with "Egyptian" as part of a subject heading.

• U.S.A. is searched as U S A

• 1,9,8,4 is searched as a single term. Use EXACT and TITLE to find the novel by George Orwell.

• 1 9 8 4 gives equal weight to all numbers; they will not necessarily be searched in that order or as one unit.
• To get a list of videos owned by the Library:

• Select "complex search";
• Go to the bottom of screen;
• Select "VIDEO" in itemtype;
• Select "ti" for sort by;
• Select "Search Catalog" just above.

N.B. An alphabetical list of videos will be retrieved, but titles beginning with numbers will precede the alphabetical list.

OCLC (Online Catalog Library Center) has announced a new version of FirstSearch which will be fully implemented in June 2000. The new interface permits pre-selection of multiple databases that can be searched simultaneously; and also allows users to "ask for" databases that contain certain key words or subjects.

These features greatly facilitate the searching process by 1) reducing the number of times you repeat a search in several different databases, and by 2) eliminating some of the guesswork in choosing the appropriate database to search. Most importantly, the new version will automatically link users to any full text databases to which the Library subscribes, within FirstSearch. As an example, if the full text of an article is available in WilsonSelect, the user can follow a link to the article from any database(s) being searched.

The new version is currently available, but libraries have until June 2000 to switch over. However, catalog librarian Pat Fishbein has already created a link to the new version, which you may wish to try:  New Firstsearch

From the opening screen you may type in terms (on the left) and the system will respond with suggested databases for you to try, or you may choose a database (on the right) and begin searching immediately.

In addition to the improved features on the new FirstSearch, OCLC has announced another addition that will greatly benefit anyone seeking brief educational reports on a variety of current topics. According to a recent listserv message:

Within the ERIC database, "the full text of approximately 2,000 ERIC Digest documents is now available on the new OCLC FirstSearch service. Full text of the actual ERIC Digest documents is included in the full record display. The Digest records can be searched in both phrase and keyword indexes by term or code", and also by specifying ERIC Digest as the Record Type in an Advanced Search. In addition to searching for specific ERIC Digest documents, from any general search on a topic in education in the ERIC database, users can select documents identified with ERIC Digest following the title to obtain the full text.

"ERIC Digests are short reports (1,000-1,500 words) on various topics of prime current interest in education and include references to items providing more detailed information. The reports are produced by the 16 subject-specialized ERIC Clearinghouses, and reviewed by experts and content specialists in the field."

ERIC Digest full text is available through the new FirstSearch. Kathy Dalton has also reminded me that ERIC Digest reports (with full text) are also available on the Web at:

Students often drop in to the Media Center to pick up materials for faculty members. Media staff cannot always tell whether faculty did, in fact, order the pick-up. To ensure that materials are correctly signed out, faculty are being asked to either call the Media Center, give the student a note, or send an ID card with the student to authorize the loan. Please also specify the time required for the loan; videos may be needed for several class periods and Media staff would need to extend the loan period beyond the standard 24-hour loan. Another request: if it becomes necessary to cancel equipment which has been scheduled (especially multi-media equipment), please phone the Media Center with your change of plans. Your cooperation, as always, is greatly appreciated.

If you’re trying to locate an out-of-print title or other hard-to-find book, Jim Smillie has the solution:

"I have discovered a new Web site for locating books for sale, both new and used. It is a search engine that looks in the on-line catalogs of book dealers and cooperative OP services like Bibliofind and Advanced Book Exchange. If you are looking for a book, try it." Search results include vendors, prices, and full bibliographic information.

Jim also brought to my attention an unusual search engine. Searchling.com is a meta-search engine with a new approach to searching the Web. It has a unique "Yes, Maybe, No" option that allows for specific terms to be included or excluded from the search. A list of 20 results by title appears at the top so you can choose those that fit the query.

http://www.searchling.com

Online resources to assist students can be found at another Web site. BigChalk.com, a research site for students of all ages, is a study site where the editors continuously provide students with a comprehensive guide to knowledge available online. Some favorite resources include the Timeline of Computer History, The Fourth State of Matter, and Antitrust Law & Economics Review. Visit the site at:

--James Smillie

A reminder that the most recent back issues of the Newsletter are available on the Web. From the Library’s home page.