A major advancement in Library services this year was the implementation of the new SIRSI online information system, which was purchased in the spring of 1999. The system has a host of new features that will be of great benefit to faculty, students and staff.

One of the most prominent features of the SIRSI Unicorn Academe system is the web-based online catalog called iLink. iLink allows users to search the Library’s collections of books, periodicals, videos, recordings and other materials, using the web interface already familiar to most users. It also permits users to edit, print, or download-to-disk the results of a search, so users can create lists or bibliographies of books/materials on a topic. Search results can be limited by language, location, or format and sorted by author, title, or date.

Another important feature is the linking functionality which permits access to materials in electronic as well as print formats. Catalog librarian Pat Fishbein and Periodicals/ILL Coordinator Sheila Fisher have begun to create hot links (displayed in familiar blue text) throughout the bibliographic record which lead users to extended sources of information on authors and subjects within the Library, and to online subscription databases as well. As an example, if a student found a citation to an article in the Journal of American Ethnic History, then searched our catalog to see if we owned that journal, a hot link in the bibliographic record would take the student to the online database where the full text of the article could be found.

In the future, hot links will be created to link to external scholarly Web sites with information on the topic being searched in iLink, and accessible with just one keystroke.

The Broadcast feature, which is scheduled for release in iLink sometime next year, will enable users to simultaneously search several online catalogs at once, using the familiar iLink interface.

A fourth major difference is the windows-based "back-room" functionality of the other modules: circulation, acquisitions and serials control, cataloging, media booking and interlibrary loan (available late next year). SIRSI uses client/server architecture that allows staff workstations to be customized for the unique tasks performed in each department. The system, because of its complexity, also has enormous flexibility and potential. Over the summer, some data was converted from our former system, but files that could not migrate are being keyed in manually. We anticipate that the data conversion will be completed in the next few months. Library staff are still learning the complexities of the system, and will continue to enable new features as rapidly as possible.

Some of the capabilities under implementation include the automatic generation of email notices for new book arrivals, books received on interlibrary loan, and of course, notices for overdue books.

Library staff are currently working with a SIRSI software analyst to enable these functions. The challenges of bringing up an entirely new system with an unfamiliar architectural structure and different philosophical bases have been enormous. But progress is being made and daily we’re learning more sophisticated ways to utilize the system’s potential. As features continue to be added and our level of expertise increases, the system will be the centerpiece of the research endeavor for faculty, students and staff. The purchase of this exciting new system positions us to move forward into the next decade and beyond. It is part of our long-range strategic plan to review collection building for materials in all formats, wherever they may reside. We now have a dynamic information system that will integrate these resources.

Library staff worked diligently on procurement and system implementation, and deserve high praise for sustained, dedicated service to the project. We would also like to thank members of the Computer Services Center, Physical Plant, and the University Library Committee for all their hard work and assistance. Lastly, we are most grateful to the University administration for approving this project, and in particular to Academic Vice President Funk for his unfailing guidance and support.

Another important change this summer was the removal of the 24-hour computer lab from the Library to Degenstein Campus Center. The move was essential to provide critically needed space for the Library’s steadily growing collections. Please remind students that the lab in Degenstein is an open lab to which they have continuous access from Sunday 10 a.m. through Saturday 8 p.m. In addition, other labs on campus are open and can be used whenever classes are not in session as follows:

DCC Sunday 10 a.m. – Saturday 8 p.m.

B&CB Sun – Friday 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Seibert Sunday – Friday 8 a.m. – Midnight

Saturday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Students may check the schedules posted on the outside doors of any lab to see when classes are scheduled in all of the labs. Also, lab hours are posted on the University Web Page at:

In the space reclaimed from the former 24-hour study/computer lab area, over the summer a group of extremely capable, hard-working students installed temporary shelving to accept the overflow of books from the first and second floors. Currently, law reference books, some retrospective periodical indexes (many with online counterparts), and a few other titles have been relocated in that area.

The plan for the near future calls for the installation of compact shelving (which will accommodate far greater numbers of volumes in the same amount of space) and the removal of selected titles of circulating books from the overcrowded second floor to the lower level. This plan will permit additional space for an estimated 8-years of collection growth.

Another change in collection management occurred in the Music Library. Music faculty members met with library staff to discuss ways to improve access to the Library’s collections of long-playing records. Over the summer, the records were removed from the Music Library (closed stacks) and placed in the adjacent Listening Lab Room, where students can access them directly. Earlier in the year, music scores had also been placed in the Listening Lab. It is hoped that these adjustments will facilitate students’ ability to locate needed materials.

The Multimedia Room in the lower level of the Library, used as an office for Andre Growney, former Director of Instructional Technologies, is available for video showings and multimedia presentations. Individual, group and classroom showings can be scheduled in the room which will comfortably seat 25–30 people. To arrange for use, please contact Media Staff at ext. 4324.

Each semester faculty are encouraged to bring in their classes for an orientation to the Library, and for an instructional session designed to familiarize students with primary resources for specific class assignments. With the new online catalog and the increasing availability of other general and specialized online resources, the research environment is more complex for students than it has ever been. Although electronic searching can greatly facilitate students’ research ability, the array of resources from which to choose can be overwhelming to novice researchers. Students also experience difficulty in selecting appropriate search terms that will result in an effective search. Please encourage your students to consult the librarian on duty as often as necessary for assistance, and call Kathy Dalton at ext. 4160 to schedule your class session in the Library.

In addition to normal daytime hours, a librarian is on duty until 10 p.m. each evening Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, and from 1-4 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. on Sunday.

We are delighted to introduce our new Circulation/Reference librarian. Ann Wilson joined the Library staff on June 1, 1999 – just in time for SIRSI training! Ann earned the Master of Library Science degree from Clarion University in 1982, and has recently completed all course-work for her Master of Arts in American Studies from Penn State. She plans to write her thesis in January 2000. With over 18 years of professional library experience, Ann brings considerable supervisory, management and organizational skills to the position, along with her knowledge of libraries. She already knows the 70+ work-study students by name and has trained most of them on the circulation module of the new SIRSI system. In her free time, Ann enjoys musical activities. She is an assistant pianist at a local church in Williamsport and also participates in various choral groups. Please welcome Ann to S. U.

Please also welcome Susan Musser as our new Library secretary. Following the departure of Karen Brandt in July, Susan joined the staff in August. Susan’s background includes positions in the business offices of several companies, and most recently Susan was on the housekeeping staff here at Susquehanna University. She has quickly become a valuable asset to the Library’s operations. In her free time, Susan and her husband moderate the activities of their three children, a dog and "some cats". And somehow, she even finds time to read, swim, and play golf.

At the request of faculty in the political science department, the Library has begun a subscription to CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online), a database sponsored jointly by Columbia University Press and librarians at Columbia University. The creators wanted to explore a new concept in the packaging and delivery of information, and as a result the database boasts a unique arrangement. The content of materials in a variety of formats (books, journal articles, conference proceedings, presentations, working papers, etc.) is gathered and indexed under topics in the area of international affairs, resulting in a body of knowledge that is discipline-specific, rather than format-centered.

The CIAO database includes:

• The full text of working papers from 92 contributing institutions
• Over 40,000 pages of conference proceedings, papers and books, with growth of 2,000 pages monthly
• Abstracts from the leading journals of international affairs
• Policy briefs from the OECD, the Brookings Institution, the Cato Institute, the Center for Defense Information, and others
• Monthly statistics on American and international economics produced by the U.S. Government, OECD, and The Conference Board
• Regional, political and country maps in full color, with accompanying country data

Visit CIAO at http://www.ciaonet.org or access the database from the link at the bottom of the Library’s Home Page.

Each year, new faculty are given a handout with guidelines to facilitate the processes of two important functions in the Library: placing items on Course Reserve and ordering books for your department. With the advent of a new librarian in Circulation/Reserves and the migration to the new SIRSI system, the process has changed slightly. An updated copy of the Guidelines for both of these activities is attached to this Newsletter for your convenience. Please review them at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions, please contact Ann Wilson (ext.4022) for Reserves or Ann Marie Rompolski (ext.4411) for acquisitions.

Heavy demand for the use of multimedia equipment continues, and Media staff wish to thank faculty for their cooperation in scheduling requests in a timely fashion. Due to a very tight schedule, however, Media staff are only able to deliver and quickly set up equipment for classroom presentations – usually within a 10-minute time frame.

If it is necessary to have any kind of special software, including CD-ROMs, loaded on the laptop, the request must be made in advance, at the time that the equipment is scheduled. If placing a request on the Web, please include a note if a special set-up is needed. This will ensure that Media staff will have time to make the required adjustments prior to delivery, and to confirm that the computer has sufficient memory to accommodate the additional software. Prompt return of videos that have been used for classroom instruction is also greatly appreciated, again due to heavy demand for media materials.

Media requests can be placed by contacting Media staff at ext. 4324, or via the electronic request forms on the Library’s Web Page: www.susqu.edu/library. Thank you for your cooperation in the use of media services.

The following new titles have been added: