Gilreath, 'New Indexes on the NCSU Libraries Information System', NCSU Libraries Newsletter v21n06 (January 1994)
 
_The NCSU Libraries Newsletter_
Volume 21 no. 6
January 1994
Gilreath, Charles L.
"New Indexes on the NCSU Libraries Information System"


Three New Indexes

In early January, library staff added to the NCSU Libraries 
Information System three new databases:

(1) _Academic Index_--indexing and abstracts for 
approximately 1,500 general and scholarly periodicals in the 
humanities and social sciences, with selected coverage in the 
fields of science and technology;

(2) _Business Index_--indexing and abstracting for over 850 
business, management, and trade journals, plus selected 
citations to business-related articles in more than 3,000 
other publications;

(3) _Newspaper Index_--indexing for twenty-seven daily local 
and regional newspapers in the United States.

To search these databases, from the main menu screen select

1 Library Catalogs,

then choose

1 NCSU's Catalog.

When the main search menu appears, enter D to see a list of 
other databases, including the three new ones.  As soon 
as programming can be completed, these databases will also be 
available from the main menu screen by selecting:

2 Journal Articles Indexes.

More to Come

Negotiations are underway for acquiring some dozen new 
databases covering most major fields of study, including 
agriculture, life sciences, engineering, education, medicine, 
and physics.  To leverage limited resources, the libraries 
comprising the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN)--
NCSU, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke University--are trying to 
negotiate joint licenses with publishers of databases to allow 
access to users at all three institutions. The three libraries 
will share the responsibility for mounting files and providing 
access to all authorized users.

Validation Requirements

The mounting of licensed databases introduces the need for 
TRLN libraries to validate users of the system.  Most license 
agreements with publishers require that only authorized 
library users--that is, registered borrowers--be allowed 
access to commercially produced databases.  To comply with 
these requirements, the TRLN libraries have implemented a 
system that will check user identification numbers before 
allowing access to selected databases.

The NCSU Libraries has chosen to make the verification 
process as unobtrusive as possible.  All terminals physically in 
the main or branch libraries will automatically be authorized 
to search all available information resources.  Similarly, any 
user on campus whose computer can make a direct connection 
to the campus network will be considered fully authorized.  In 
neither case will users be asked to enter an identification 
number.  Users who dial into the information system or who 
telnet to the system from off campus will be asked to enter 
their identification number (the number on the All-Campus 
card or the library borrowing card).  Once that number 
has been verified, then all authorized databases will be made 
available during that search session.  Users who cannot be 
validated by the system will still be able to search the online 
catalog and all other unrestricted parts of the information 
system.

Search Software Decisions

Decisions are also needed on the search interface software to 
be used with each new database.  Where it makes sense, the 
search interface used for the online catalog will be employed 
in order to make searching as uniform in the system as 
possible.  In other cases, however, other search-interface 
software may be needed.  CD-ROM products, for example, often 
come integrated with their own search interface.  Sometimes 
the nature and complexity of a particular database
--a numeric file, for example--may make the standard 
system search software inappropriate for retrieval of 
information, and a separate search interface will be used.

Contacts for Questions

For questions about:                           Call:

Searching new databases 
on the information system                 Reference Desk--
                                                          515-2935

User number validation                      Access Services
                                                          Department--
                                                          515-3364

Additional databases for the
Libraries to consider                         Collection Management
                                                          Department--515-3833

                                                          for life sciences and
                                                          agriculture, ask for
                                                          John Abbott;

                                                          for humanities,
social
                                                          sciences, and
business,
                                                          ask for Ronnie Pitman
or
                                                          Margaret Hunt;

                                                          for physical sciences
and
                                                          engineering, ask for
                                                          Orion Pozo