History of Electronic Resources at UofS Libraries

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History of Electronic Resources at UofS Libraries

• David Fox
• August 27, 2001

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History of Electronic Resources
Skins Game Challenge !!

• David Fox
• August 27, 2001

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History of Electronic Resources Skins Game
Challenge

• An audience participation event
• Quiz questions
• Fabulous prizes!
• Contest budget 3.75
• 15 seconds to answer question
• Skins Game If no correct answer, or in the case
  of a tie, prize carries over to the next question.

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Prizes

• Refreshing, ice-cold Coca Cola products
• The official soft drink of the U of S
• from the ITS fridge
• Regularly a 0.75 value!

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History of Electronic Resources Scope

• end-user databases
• (not fee-based, mediated searching)
• locally mounted / remote
• 1988 -

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Local vs Remote end-user searching

• Local 1988 1998
• INFOACCESS
• standalone CD-ROMs
• Networked CD-ROMs
• WebSPIRS
• Remote 1998
• WWW databases

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Quiz Question 1

• QWhat was UofS Libraries first WWW- based
  database, and when was it acquired?
• A International Index to Music Periodicals
• August 1997

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Distribution of UofS database formats

• Local
• WebSPIRS 36
• Local CD-ROM 12
• INNOPAC 3
• INFOACCESS 4
• 55 (42.3)
• Remote WWW 75 (57.7)
• Total 130

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SKLIB/BUCAT/INFOACCESS and locally mounted
databases 1988-

• INFOACCESS a local database service initiated in
  1988
• - 9 track tapes !
• BUCAT Brandon University DBMS
• - acquired 1987 installed on DCS server
• - initally used to build Govt Pubs, Spec Coll
  databases
• SKLIB Vax 3600
• - acquired, installed June 1988

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SKLIB/BUCAT/INFOACCESSDatabase Load Process

• acquire database from vendor
• ship to BU/TKM for processing (1-3 months)
• - convert to MARC
• load, index, develop display formats (Laura
  Stewart)
• add to INFOACCESS menu
• BUCAT - command line searching
• - symbols used for logical
  operators

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SKLIB/BUCAT/INFOACCESS, continued

• 1988 (3) Govt Pubs CODOC ERIC/CIJE
• 1989/90 (7) PsycINFO CIHM Spec Pamphlets UofR
  CODOC
• 1990/91 (16) CBCA, Humanities Index Spec
  Manuscripts Theses Hist. of Photography
  Landmarks of Science American Culture Series I
  II American Periodical Series
• 1991/92 (21) CINAHL, CEI USGPO Diefenbaker
  Lib Univ. Archives
• 1992/93 (31) Film Library Social Science
  General Science ILP IRBNYC (Ebib) SNI, STU
  STF ITEP LIBHOLD II Serials

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Quiz Question 2

• QWhat did IRBNYC stand for?
• A Items Received But Not Yet Catalogued

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SKLIB/BUCAT/INFOACCESS, continued

• 1993/94 (32)
• Co-op Studies Diefenbaker Archives
  Becker Sorokin
• - CODOC UofR CODOC IRBNYC
• 1994/95 (31)
• GEAC Acquisitions Ejournals SICC
  GEOLTHES
• - American Culture I II Landmarks of
  Science History
• of Photography American Periodical
  Series

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INFOACCESS statistics
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Quiz Question 3

• QWhat prestigious award did UofS Libraries win
  for the INFOACCESS service, and in what year?
• A CACUL Innovative Achievement Award 1991

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CD-ROM Databases

• The standalone CD-ROM era 1987
• 1st database Cambridge Medline HSL Jan 87
• 2nd database SP ERIC Education Oct 87
• external CD-ROM drives US2,000
• first on campus?
• no local service!
• Needed correct version of retrieval software for
  specific CD-ROM hardware

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CD-ROM Databases

•  Networked CD-ROMs 1992
• Logicraft/Meridian trials, 1991
• DEC Infoservers 1992
• TSN Laserquest, BIP Sept 92 BOP, CDMARC
  Names 1993
• PSN/Automenu ABI/Inform, Agricola, CAB,
  Dissertation Abstracts, MLA Bibliography,
  PsycLIT, and Romulus, PAIS Jan 93 Sport
  Discus
• 1992-94 available via Pathworks Infoserver
  client (OPACs specially configured staff
  stations) / PCSPIRS
• 1994 Windows NT / WinSPIRS

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The Agony of CD-ROM Networking

•  TSN The TechNet is available to the
  privileged few on Pathworks who have enough
  memory to run it. We are working to provide
  access to increasing numbers of workstations by
  reconfiguring them to maximize the available
  memory. This process may include installing
  menuing systems and batches that force reboots
  to drop memory-resident utility programs, virus
  checkers, and whatever else is taking up the
  required memory. Because of the sloppy, piggish,
  brain-dead, network-hostile nature of the
  commercial programs, we are unable to guarantee
  that they will work if you make any changes to
  our configurations.
• SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT REPORT TO
  LIBRARIANS COUNCIL February 9, 1993
  

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The Ecstasy of CD-ROM Networking

•   On June 16, Gordon Rowland of the College of
  the Agriculture became the first faculty member
  outside the Library to have the PSN available
  from his office. Gordon's computer was also the
  first on campus to be installed with the
  Infoserver client software for DOS, which enables
  Infoserver access from non-Pathworks networked
  workstations.
• When last seen Gordon was happily performing
  searches on "somaclonal flax" on CAB and
  Agricola.
• SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT
  REPORT TO LIBRARIANS COUNCIL June 22, 1993
  

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SilverPlatter ERL server

• Implemented July 1995 with MEDLINE, CINAHL,
  HealthPlan, PolTox, Biological Abstracts, CAB,
  and Agricola (WinSPIRS)
• Current Contents added, Sept 95
• WebSPIRS implemented, summer 96
• Summer 96 Addition of BNNA, Canadian Education
  Index, CBCA Full Text, CHEM-BANK (CHRIS, HSDB,
  IRIS, OHMTADS, RTECS), GeoRef, MLA Bibliography,
  PAIS, Sociofile.
• Aug 2001 36 titles

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Databases on INNOPAC

• September 1995
• Multidisciplinary Journal Index (MJI)
• SSI, HUM, GSI, RG, ILP
• Index to Legal Periodicals (ILP)

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Interesting Factoid

• The MJI was not the first combined Wilson index
  created at UofS Libraries
• The Combined Wilson Index was introduced on
  INFOACCESS in 1992

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Law/Govt Publications server 1996

• ABI Global, America History and Life, Canadian
  Case Digests, Dissertation Abstracts, E-Stat,
  Federal Legislation Infobases, Global BIP, Globe
  Mail 1994 and 1995, Historical Abstracts,
  Romulus, Tax Partner, Women's Resources
  International
• Non-SilverPlatter, Windows-based CD-ROMs
• Replaced by Bedrock in 98

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Quiz Question 4

• QWhat was the name of our first full-text,
  full-image version of ABI/INFORM?
• A ABI/INFORM Power Pages (96/97 ?)

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Database Consortia Local

• SCOILC 1995 99
• Members UofS, SPL, SIAST Kelsey, STF
• Databases CBCA, CEI, MJI, CINAHL, Medline

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Database Consortia Provincial

• Provincial Library 1998 -
• Members All SK libraries
• Databases InfoTRAC dbs (5) Micromedia dbs (7)
  Cdn. Newspaper Source
• Hosted by UofS (4)
• SK Education Library Consortium 1998
• Members UofS, UofR, SIAST, STF, SK Ed. Resource
  Centre, RBE Main Lib
• Databases Education FT ERIC

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Database Consortia Provincial, contd

• SK University Libraries Consortium 1996 -
• Members UofS, UofR
• Shared databases Social Work Abstracts, Criminal
  Justice Abstracts
• Hosted for UofR Exceptional Child Education
  Resources, Mental Measurements Yearbook

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Database Consortia Regional

• COPPUL 1995 -
• Members 15 COPPUL libraries
• Databases lots
• Hosted by UofS PAIS

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Database Consortia National

• CNSLP 2001 -
• Members 64 CARL libraries
• Databases Web of Science, Springer LINK, IDEAL,
  MathSciNet, ACS, RSC, IOP

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Database Consortia Pros Cons

• Pros
• Greater purchasing power
• Cost savings?
• Cons
• Management overhead
• Reduces flexibility to make local decisions

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U-Search and the Web, 1994 -

• U-Search was introduced in September 1994
• First version was a text-based menu

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Quiz Question 5

• QWhat was the name of the first U-Search menu
  program for the OPACs, and who created it?
• A DougLynx Doug MacDonald

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U-Search and the Web, 1994 -

• OPACs/DougLynx/PCSPIRS
• Remote access/Lynx/UnixSPIRS
• Pilot Windows95/Netscape/WinSPIRS version of
  U-Search was introduced in December 95 on 7 OPAC
  stations
• Remote access/Lynx/UnixSPIRS
• WebSPIRS introduced, summer 1996

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Remote access/User authentication Geac

• 1987-91 remote access to Geac OPAC (VUCAT) 8
  users 1200 baud
• Aug 91 increased to 16 users 2400 baud
• UofS dialup still limited to 1200 baud
• Jan 92 UofS dialup increased to 9600 baud
• Geac access still limited to 2400 baud by VUCAT
• User authentication none

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Remote access/User AuthenticationINFOACCESS

• Initially none.
• CBCA. No written license unrestricted access on
  INFOACCESS from 1990 1993.
• First attempt at access control involved creation
  of accounts with different menus for different
  classes of users INFOACCESS, PUBTERM, OFFCAMPUS,
  SONIA
• June 93 remote telnet access to INFOACCESS
  account terminated
• In Dec 93 this was carried a step further by
  implementing separate logins for individual
  databases

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Remote access/User AuthenticationU-Search

• Oct 95 5 different versions of U-Search menu
  for different classes of users
• Confusing for Lib staff and time consuming to
  maintain
• U-Search versions were unified in summer 97
• Access control at the database level
• Access scripts
• Proxy server 99
• E-Z proxy Nov 00
• 2001 Moving to database access control by
  specific patron type

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Conclusions

• Weve done a lot of interesting stuff
• Electronic resources environment has become
  increasingly complex over the past 13 years
• All of the types of electronic resources are
  still in place
• Clear shift from local to remote access
• Main issues are no longer technical
• We are now in a relatively stable period
• Main issues are now licensing and access control

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Future Issues

• Licensing and access control
• How to handle hundreds of databases
• Database selection wizard
• Cross database searching common front ends
  virtual databases

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Thank you for playing the History of Electronic
Resources Skins Game Challenge