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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
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Volume 5, Number 1 (1994) ISSN 1048-6542
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To retrieve an article file as an e-mail message, send the GET
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command given after the article information to
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listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu. To retrieve the article as a file, omit
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"F=MAIL" from the end of the GET command.
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CONTENTS
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COMMUNICATIONS
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The Mann Library Gateway System
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By Martin L. Schlabach and Susan J. Barnes (pp. 5-19)
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To retrieve this file: GET SCHLABAC PRV5N1 F=MAIL
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The Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University has built an
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electronic library, called the Mann Library Gateway, that brings
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computerized indexes to journal articles, numeric data files, and
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the full text of journal articles and reference works to users'
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workstations. Currently, there are over 30 titles in the
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database list. Most of the titles are individual resources, but
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some of the titles identify systems that provide access to
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multiple databases. In total, close to 200 databases are
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available to the Cornell community through the Gateway.
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COLUMNS
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Casting the Net
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You Can't Get There From Here: E-prints and the Library
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By Priscilla Caplan (pp. 20-24)
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To retrieve this file: GET CAPLAN PRV5N1 F=MAIL
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The paper preprint is well on its way to extinction, supplanted
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in the information ecosystem by the electronic preprint, or
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e-print. How will libraries cope?
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
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Editor-in-Chief
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Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
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University Libraries
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University of Houston
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Houston, TX 77204-2091
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(713) 743-9804
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Internet: lib3@uhupvm1.uh.edu
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Associate Editors
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Columns: Leslie Pearse, OCLC
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Communications: Dana Rooks, University of Houston
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Editorial Board
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Ralph Alberico, University of Texas, Austin
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George H. Brett II, Clearinghouse for Networked Information
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Discovery and Retrieval
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Steve Cisler, Apple Computer, Inc.
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Walt Crawford, Research Libraries Group
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Lorcan Dempsey, University of Bath
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Nancy Evans, Pennsylvania State University, Ogontz
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Charles Hildreth, READ, Ltd.
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Ronald Larsen, University of Maryland
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Clifford Lynch, Division of Library Automation,
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University of California
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David R. McDonald, Tufts University
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R. Bruce Miller, University of California, San Diego
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Paul Evan Peters, Coalition for Networked Information
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Mike Ridley, University of Waterloo
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Peggy Seiden, Skidmore College
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Peter Stone, University of Sussex
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John E. Ulmschneider, North Carolina State University
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Technical Support
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Tahereh Jafari, Information Technology Division, University of
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Houston
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Publication Information
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Published on an irregular basis by the University Libraries,
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University of Houston. Circulation: 8,156 subscribers in 67
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countries (PACS-L) and 2,338 subscribers in 51 countries (PACS-
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P).
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Back issues are available from listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu. To
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retrieve a cumulative index to the journal, send the following e-
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mail message to the list server: GET INDEX PR F=MAIL.
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Back issues are also available from the University of
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Houston Libraries' Gopher server. Point your Gopher client at
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info.lib.uh.edu, port 70, and follow this menu path:
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Looking for Articles
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Electronic Journals
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University of Houston Libraries E-Journals
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review
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The journal's URL is gopher://info.lib.uh.edu:70/11/articles/e-
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journals/uhlibrary/pacsreview.
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The first three volumes of The Public-Access Computer
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Systems Review are also available in book form from the American
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Library Association's Library and Information Technology
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Association (LITA). The price of each volume is $17 for LITA
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members and $20 for non-LITA members. All three volumes can be
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ordered as a set for $45 (indicate that you want the PACS Review
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set, order number 7712-X). To order, contact: ALA Publishing
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Services, Order Department, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL
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60611-2729, (800) 545-2433.
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
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journal that is distributed on the Internet and on other computer
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networks. There is no subscription fee.
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To subscribe, send an e-mail message to
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listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name
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Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also receive three electronic
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newsletters: Current Cites, LITA Newsletter, and Public-Access
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Computer Systems News.
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
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1994 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
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Rights Reserved.
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Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
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computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
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libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
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collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
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message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
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requires permission.
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Casting the Net
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Caplan, Priscilla. "You Can't Get There From Here: E-prints and
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the Library." The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 5, no. 1
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(1994): 20-24. To retrieve this file, send the following e-mail
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message to listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu: GET CAPLAN PRV5N1 F=MAIL.
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(The file is also available from the University of Houston
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Libraries' Gopher server: info.lib.uh.edu, port 70.)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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A Useful Analogy
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Are you sufficiently recovered from all that eggnog for a little
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post-holiday fantasy? Imagine it's a few weeks before Christmas,
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you've picked out the perfect tree and you ask the attendant at
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the tree lot what you owe. "Not a penny," he says, waving his
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ax. "Every tree here is free until Christmas, as long as you take
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it home yourself. On the other hand, if you want to wait until
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the day after Christmas, I'll deliver one right to your house for
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a hundred bucks even."
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"A hundred dollars," you exclaim, "that's ridiculous! And
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what good is a Christmas tree the day after Christmas?" The tree
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man shrugs. "That's the way it is," he says. "Make up your
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mind." "Well," you say, "I guess I'll call for delivery around
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the end of the month. That is, if I have any cash left after
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Christmas."
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The Preprint Culture
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This may not be a perfect analogy with libraries and preprints,
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but it's too close for comfort. In several areas of research,
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most notably high-energy physics, preprints have for some time
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been the dominant means of communicating research results.
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Distribution of the preprint (a manuscript ready for submission
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to a journal or a conference) was inherently haphazard.
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Researchers had to be well plugged in to the distribution
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channels of their fields and proactive in seeking out preprints
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of interest. Nonetheless, the value of such timely information
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was so great that researchers organized the flow of information
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on their own, to the extent that D. Dallman et al. could claim
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"there has developed a veritable 'Preprint Culture' with its own
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social structure." [1]
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Some libraries collect paper preprints. The Physics
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Research Library at Harvard University, for example, has a large
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collection of preprints that are fully cataloged in a special
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database in Harvard's online catalog. For the most part,
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however, libraries have tended to leave preprints to the
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researcher, while subscribing to the printed journals and
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proceedings that eventually publish them as articles. Of course,
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these publications are expensive and come out too late for the
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information to be really useful, hence the development of the
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preprint culture to begin with.
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E-prints
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In fact, the paper preprint is well on its way to extinction,
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supplanted in the information ecosystem by the electronic
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preprint, or e-print. David Mermin claims, "Nobody in the field
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sends out paper preprints anymore." [2] And for good reason.
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E-prints can be centralized on one or a small number of servers
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and made available to everyone instantly and simultaneously. For
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the author, the act of loading a single e-print replaces the
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photocopying and distribution of hundreds of copies of a
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preprint. And e-print servers can make comments by other
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researchers available alongside the original e-print, for rapid
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feedback and quality control.
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The most basic method of e-print distribution is via
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bulletin boards (e-mail). In the most mature areas, the same
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e-prints are made available through multiple channels including
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e-mail, FTP, and Gopher or World-Wide Web servers. The process
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of receiving, revising, and replacing submissions has been
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automated by software developed by Paul Ginsparg of LANL, whose
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programs can extract bibliographic information and abstracts for
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automatic indexing from documents submitted in a standard format.
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E-prints can be made available in multiple formats. The
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International Philosophical Preprint Exchange mounts e-prints in
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vanilla ASCII, several word processing formats, PostScript,
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various flavors of TeX, SGML, troff, and Mac binhex formats. In
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math and physics, variations on TeX (e.g., LaTeX, AMS-TeX, and
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Phyzzx) are standard. Often abstracts and readers' comments are
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provided in simple ASCII format and the e-print itself in at
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least two formats, ASCII and some type of TeX.
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+ Page 22 +
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Providing Access to E-prints
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Clearly, the rise of the e-print has made it easier for libraries
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to provide access to these important research materials.
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However, to my knowledge, few libraries feel responsible for
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supporting e-prints or facilitating access to them. I put out a
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query last fall on PACS-L and CWIS-L asking what libraries were
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doing in regard to e-prints and what problems they were
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encountering. I received several helpful pointers to e-print
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servers, but not a single response from a library doing
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something.
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The organized access that does exist seems to be provided by
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campus Gophers that maintain some sort of subject structure or
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that point to other Gophers that do. Using these Gophers is
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often (although not always) an ordeal. For example, one Gopher
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server I looked at recently has a menu of "Internet Resources by
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Subject." Selecting "Math, Natural Sciences" gave me a second
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menu with the item "Math, Computing." Selecting this in turn
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gave me a menu that included one item offering direct access to
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e-prints in algebraic geometry and a second item called
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"Mathematics (combined menu, Rice)." Selecting Rice gave me a
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menu with an entry for the American Mathematical Society's Gopher
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server. The AMS server showed an item for "Math preprints." One
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of the documents available under "Math preprints" was an article
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called "E-prints in Mathematics" that listed a number of
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different bulletin boards with math-related e-prints. As Dave
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Barry says, "I am not making this up."
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The Library's Role
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Many libraries sponsor courses in or offer some end-user support
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for common software for navigating the Internet, for formatting
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bibliographies from downloaded citations, and the like. I don't
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know of any library offering similar assistance in TeX, the
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language of e-prints. Nor do I know of any library archiving
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e-print collections, which is in fact a thorny area. On the one
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hand, there is certainly a need. Most of those running e-print
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services do not feel responsible for permanent archival storage
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of the e-prints. Although most e-prints do end up published in
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more traditional media, some do not, and some are published with
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changes. The e-print itself is as likely (in some areas, more
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likely) to be cited as its published version.
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+ Page 23 +
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On the other hand, there are problems peculiar to e-prints.
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Older e-prints are irregularly weeded, making the logistics of
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archiving difficult. More importantly, copyright generally
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passes from the author to the journal publisher on publication,
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and some publishers request that e-prints be made inaccessible at
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that time. This particular problem may not be solved until
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collections of e-prints replace publication in commercial,
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refereed journals altogether.
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Call to Action
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David Mermin thinks the hour is close at hand, at least for
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physicists. It has been said that members of the "preprint
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culture" are less wedded to publication in traditional journals
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for their academic awards than scholars in other disciplines, so
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one major barrier may be breachable. The researchers must still
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decide how to provide the function of peer review within this
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context. Librarians must determine how to guarantee
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bibliographic control, end-user support, permanent archives, and
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access to both current and archived material.
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Still, if there were ever a chance to break the stranglehold
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of skyrocketing science serial subscription prices, this may be
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it. So with all our attention to e-journals and various other
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Internet resources, let's not leave e-prints abandoned by the
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electronic roadside, along with last year's Christmas trees.
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Notes
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1. D. Dallman, M. Draper, and S. Schwarz, "Electronic
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Pre-Publishing for World-wide Access: the Case of High Energy
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Physics" (Preprint submitted to Interlending and Document Supply,
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British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, UK).
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2. David Mermin, "What's Wrong in Computopia?" Physics Today 45
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(April 1992): 9.
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About the Author
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Priscilla Caplan, Assistant Director for Library Systems,
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University of Chicago Library, 1100 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL
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60637. Internet: p-caplan@uchicago.edu.
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+ Page 24 +
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
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journal that is distributed on the Internet and on other computer
|
|
networks. There is no subscription fee.
|
|
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to
|
|
listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name
|
|
Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also receive three electronic
|
|
newsletters: Current Cites, LITA Newsletter, and Public-Access
|
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Computer Systems News.
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This article is Copyright (C) 1994 by Priscilla Caplan. All
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Rights Reserved.
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The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
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1994 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
|
|
Rights Reserved.
|
|
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
|
|
computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
|
|
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
|
|
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
|
|
message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
|
|
requires permission.
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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+ Page 5 +
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Schlabach, Martin L., and Susan J. Barnes. "The Mann Library
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Gateway System." The Public-Access Computer Systems Review 5,
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no. 1 (1994): 5-19. To retrieve this file, send the following e-
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mail message to listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu: GET SCHLABAC PRV5N1
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F=MAIL. (The file is also available from the University of
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Houston Libraries' Gopher server: info.lib.uh.edu, port 70.)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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1.0 Introduction
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The Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University has built an
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electronic library that brings computerized indexes to journal
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articles, numeric data files, and the full text of journal
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articles and reference works to users' workstations. This
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system, known as the Mann Library Gateway, is used on the Cornell
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campus at libraries, offices, labs, and microcomputer centers.
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It is also used off-campus by Cornellians who are working at home
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or traveling. The Gateway system has been very well received and
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has grown steadily in usage and size over the past two years.
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2.0 Gateway Description
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The Gateway is a computer system that manages multiple
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connections to a variety of carefully selected electronic
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information resources. These resources may either reside on
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library computers or be located on computers across the country.
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By browsing a list of titles and the accompanying brief
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description for each title, the user identifies relevant
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information resources. Upon selecting a resource from the menu,
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the Gateway software completes the connection to the resource.
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The location of the information resource as well as the
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connection and login processes are transparent to the user.
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2.1 Gateway System
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The Gateway system currently runs on a Hewlett-Packard Series
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9000 computer, but it is designed to run on any UNIX-based
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computer system. The system is composed of several software
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modules: the administrative module, the "circulation" manager,
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and the user interface.
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+ Page 6 +
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2.1.1 Administrative Module
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The administrative module allows staff to create, delete, and
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modify all user accounts associated with the Gateway. This
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module allows the Gateway administrators to enable or disable
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access to each resource for each user. For example, the library
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might wish to make a "demo" account available, but deny access to
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a particular resource. Limits can also be established on any
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resource. For example, licensing restrictions on a bibliographic
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database limiting simultaneous access to 100 users can be
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enforced.
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Individual accounts are created and modified by a member of
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the library support staff using a workform interface to the
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administrative module. When a large number of accounts need to
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be created for a class, the accounts are generated in a more
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automated manner by technical staff. "Anonymous" login has also
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been established, but such access is limited to sessions
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originating on the Cornell campus. This access control provides
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the ability to meet the varying contractual requirements of
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database producers and vendors.
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2.1.2 Circulation Management Module
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The "circulation" management module is the entity that actually
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enforces the limits set by the administrators. This module also
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monitors hardware resources, assuring that no component becomes
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overloaded and acceptable response times are maintained. For
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example, the management module monitors the number of
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simultaneous users connected to each resource, and it can deny
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access to additional users if a predetermined limit is reached;
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access is again allowed once the number of simultaneous users
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drops below the limit.
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The system also manages multiple passwords that may be
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required for simultaneous access to a resource. For example, if
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a remote system requires a unique password for each session and
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we have 10 passwords permitting a maximum of 10 simultaneous
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sessions, the Gateway circulation manager assigns available
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passwords when a user initiates a session to that remote system.
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The Gateway "knows" if a password is available or in use, and it
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manages the access, thus preventing the individual user from
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knowing or using the confidential passwords.
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+ Page 7 +
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2.1.3 User Interface Module
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The third module is the user interface component. Currently, one
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version of this module exists. It supports the ANSI 3.64 (VT100)
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terminal emulation used by nearly all microcomputer
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telecommunications software. This character-based interface was
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deliberately chosen as the one interface available to all Mann
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Library patrons when the Gateway was created.
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The database screen presents the user with the available
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resources (see Figure 1). The left half of the database screen
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consists of a scrolling title list displaying nine titles at
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once. The right half displays a brief description of the one
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database highlighted in the title list. The brief description
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changes as different titles are highlighted, and it gives the
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years of coverage and the frequency of update if the database is
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serial in nature. At the bottom of the screen are brief
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commands.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Figure 1. Database Selection Screen
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Mann Library Gateway
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Databases __________________ Description___________________
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User Guides and Help : BIOSIS is a database of
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ABI/Inform : citations and abstracts to
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AGRICOLA : the literature on biology,
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->BIOSIS : biomedicine, and other
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CARL UnCover life sciences.
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Census of Population and Housing
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CLIMOD Source: BIOSIS Inc.
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Cornell Online Catalog Coverage: 1986-present
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Crop Estimates-County File Updated: Weekly
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(No. 4 of 32 databases available)
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Directions ______________________________________________________
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Select a database, press RETURN. Press = to move down the list
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Use arrow keys - to move up the list
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to move through the list. p to change password
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Press SHIFT+1st letter of the title q to quit the Gateway
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to jump through the list alphabetically.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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+ Page 8 +
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Database titles are often cryptic and give no clues about the
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nature of the resource. The brief descriptions are of great help
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in assisting the new user in identifying the appropriate
|
|
database.
|
|
|
|
2.2 Software Design
|
|
|
|
As mentioned above, the software system is very modular. This
|
|
approach allows the system to evolve piecemeal and to be
|
|
eventually distributed over multiple computers. All
|
|
administrative functions are currently being handled with a
|
|
collection of UNIX Korn shell scripts and Awk programs.
|
|
The circulation module mentioned above consists of locally
|
|
developed C code. The circulation module links to two other
|
|
components that handle resource connections and the user
|
|
interface. Resource connections are managed by the Expect
|
|
software package, which is readily available from the National
|
|
Institute of Standards and Technology. Expect is very flexible
|
|
in that it allows the management of many different types of
|
|
connections from standard Telnet to FTP and Kermit file
|
|
transfers. Finally, the user interface was developed using Liant
|
|
Corporation's C-Scape Interface Management System. C-Scape
|
|
provides a multiple-window environment within the standard UNIX
|
|
terminal environment and provides a growth path to the newer X
|
|
Window system.
|
|
|
|
2.3 Gateway Resources
|
|
|
|
Currently, there are over 30 titles in the database list. Most
|
|
of the titles are individual resources, but some of the titles
|
|
identify systems that provide access to multiple databases. In
|
|
total, close to 200 databases are available to the Cornell
|
|
community through the Gateway.
|
|
Although the majority of the databases are bibliographic in
|
|
nature, full-text, numeric, and directory databases are also
|
|
included. Resources are selected as part of the Mann Library's
|
|
collection development process. Selection is made by specialists
|
|
in each type, or genre, of information. The decision process is
|
|
coordinated by the Head of Collection Development. Decisions
|
|
that have significant impact on equipment needs, technical
|
|
processing, or provision of service are discussed and reviewed by
|
|
the Electronic Resources Council, a committee with
|
|
representatives from the Mann Library's Public Services,
|
|
Technical Services, and Collection Development divisions, plus a
|
|
representative from the Information Technology Section (ITS).
|
|
|
|
+ Page 9 +
|
|
|
|
The Mann Library maintains five databases locally under the
|
|
BRS/SEARCH software. The databases are, in order of their
|
|
addition to the Gateway, Agricola (1982-present), BIOSIS Previews
|
|
(1986-present), ERIC (1966-present), ABI Inform (1985-present),
|
|
and Periodical Abstracts (1986-present). These databases are
|
|
distributed over two DEC Station 5000 servers, requiring over 18
|
|
gigabytes of magnetic storage for the databases and their
|
|
indexes. The Crop Estimates and the National Resources Inventory
|
|
databases are also maintained locally.
|
|
In addition, selected tables from the Census of Population
|
|
and Housing are available via a Gopher on a Mann Library server.
|
|
User guides are also loaded under Gopher and made available
|
|
through the Gateway in electronic form.
|
|
Other resources available through the Gateway are maintained
|
|
elsewhere, and the Gateway software provides connections. The
|
|
complete list of resources available as of early 1994 is shown in
|
|
Table 1.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 10 +
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
Table 1. Gateway Resources
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
ABI/Inform
|
|
Agricola
|
|
Applied Science & Technology Index
|
|
Art Index
|
|
Avery Index
|
|
Biological & Agricultural Index
|
|
BIOSIS Previews
|
|
Business Periodicals Index
|
|
CARL UnCover
|
|
Census of Population and Housing (1990)
|
|
CLIMOD (Northeastern Regional Climate Center Database)
|
|
Cornell Online Catalog
|
|
Crop Estimates
|
|
Dialog (150 databases)
|
|
Dialog Bluesheets
|
|
Dialog Business Connection
|
|
Dialog Papers
|
|
Engineering Index-EI Page One
|
|
ERIC
|
|
General Science Index
|
|
GEOREF
|
|
Humanities Index
|
|
Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
|
|
Index to Legal Periodicals
|
|
National Resources Inventory
|
|
Periodical Abstracts
|
|
PsycINFO
|
|
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature
|
|
RLIN
|
|
Social Science Index
|
|
User Guides and Help
|
|
Wilson Combined Indexes (includes all Wilson databases in
|
|
this list)
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
+ Page 11 +
|
|
|
|
3.0 The Evolution of Electronic Information Services
|
|
|
|
The Mann Library is the second-largest unit within the Cornell
|
|
University Library system. With its collection of over 600,000
|
|
printed volumes and almost 500 electronic titles on tape,
|
|
magnetic disks, and optical disks, the library is recognized as
|
|
one of the most prominent academic agricultural libraries in the
|
|
United States. The library serves students, faculty, staff, and
|
|
extension personnel in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life
|
|
Sciences, College of Human Ecology, Division of Biological
|
|
Sciences, and Division of Nutritional Sciences. As a land grant
|
|
library, it also serves the citizens of New York State.
|
|
|
|
3.1 Early Growth of Mann's Electronic Library
|
|
|
|
While the printed library collection remains fundamental to the
|
|
library's mission to serve Cornellians and New Yorkers, Mann
|
|
Library staff have also made providing access to electronic
|
|
information a principal goal over the past twenty years. This
|
|
access has steadily expanded as information technology advances
|
|
have been made. Mediated online searching has been available at
|
|
the Mann Library since the early 1970s, end-user access to remote
|
|
online databases has been provided since the early 1980s, and
|
|
access to databases on CD-ROM has been available since 1987.
|
|
Library staff have also provided access to numeric data on tape
|
|
and diskette since the early 1980s.
|
|
In 1988, library staff began a research project in which the
|
|
Agricola database and subsets of the BIOSIS Previews database
|
|
were mounted on a local VAX computer. Researchers used these
|
|
databases from computers and terminals in locations outside of
|
|
the library, and staff investigated whether changes in user
|
|
behavior resulted from the availability of this electronic
|
|
information. Meanwhile, in a study funded by the U.S. Department
|
|
of Education, library staff created an online system to provide
|
|
menu-driven interactive access to numeric data. As a result of
|
|
these experiments, the library administration decided to make
|
|
more databases available to a wider range of users--and Mann
|
|
Library's electronic library began to take shape.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 12 +
|
|
|
|
3.2 The Birth of the Mann Library Gateway
|
|
|
|
An early version of the Mann Library Gateway first emerged as a
|
|
result of a joint project between the Mann Library and Cornell's
|
|
Division of Biological Sciences. Faculty and library staff
|
|
agreed that undergraduates in biology classes needed to know how
|
|
to use electronic information for their classwork. These skills
|
|
would also be essential for graduates in their future jobs.
|
|
Staff from the Mann Library and the Division of Biological
|
|
Sciences wrote a successful joint proposal to Cornell's
|
|
President's Fund for Educational Initiatives to provide hardware,
|
|
software, and instruction to provide Biological Sciences
|
|
undergraduates with the ability to retrieve information from
|
|
databases accessible over the campus network. The databases were
|
|
to be delivered through a single point of access, the Gateway.
|
|
The development of the Gateway has been a joint effort of
|
|
librarians and technical staff at Mann Library (the project team
|
|
is described in Section 3.4). The project manager worked with
|
|
Biological Sciences faculty and the library's collection
|
|
development staff to select the best resources for undergraduates
|
|
in biology. Library staff and faculty agreed that BIOSIS
|
|
Previews, the premier bibliographic database in the life
|
|
sciences, would be the best database to begin with. BIOSIS
|
|
Previews is widely recognized among biologists and information
|
|
specialists to be a comprehensive, high quality resource.
|
|
Faculty judged it a critical electronic resource for
|
|
undergraduates. The selection team also recognized that it would
|
|
be very useful to faculty, research staff, and graduate students.
|
|
The library built on its earlier experience with subsets of
|
|
BIOSIS Previews, and it mounted five years of the full database
|
|
on a local computer using the BRS/SEARCH software.
|
|
The project team decided that biology students and faculty
|
|
should also have access to the Cornell Online Catalog, so that
|
|
they could easily determine which references found in BIOSIS
|
|
Previews would be available on campus. The team also agreed that
|
|
other databases in addition to BIOSIS Previews should be provided
|
|
to the biology students and faculty, beginning with databases
|
|
that the library already had online. These were Agricola and two
|
|
numeric files: Crop Estimates and the National Resources
|
|
Inventory.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 13 +
|
|
|
|
Fundamental to all the project team's work was the belief
|
|
that access to these databases must be made very simple. A
|
|
single point of access to all resources must be provided.
|
|
Although the databases resided on different computers in
|
|
different buildings and required different login protocols, these
|
|
differences should be transparent to students and faculty. Users
|
|
should only be required to learn one computer address and login
|
|
protocol. To achieve this goal, the project team created an
|
|
interface that presented an easy-to-use menu. This menu listed
|
|
Agricola, BIOSIS Previews, the Cornell Online Catalog, National
|
|
Resources Inventory, and Crop Estimates. Upon making a selection
|
|
from the menu, Telneting and logging in were handled behind the
|
|
scenes by the Gateway software. This system was the first
|
|
version of the Mann Library Gateway. Soon after this Gateway was
|
|
created, the RLIN system was also added to the menu.
|
|
Access to this early Gateway system was provided in Spring
|
|
1991 to biology students and faculty in campus microcomputer
|
|
centers, in Mann Library, and at other networked locations.
|
|
Dial-up access via modem was also provided, and it was the most
|
|
common means of access outside of the microcomputer centers and
|
|
the library. Most faculty and staff did not have connections to
|
|
the campus network at this time, and they relied on dial-up
|
|
access.
|
|
In Fall 1991, library staff and biology instructors
|
|
conducted BIOSIS training for over 100 introductory biology
|
|
students. These students worked their way through a tutorial and
|
|
a searching assignment. In Spring 1992, instruction was expanded
|
|
to all 700 introductory biology students. Meanwhile, biology
|
|
faculty were using the Gateway for their research and were
|
|
planning future instructional uses of BIOSIS Previews and other
|
|
databases. Initial instruction for biology faculty and teaching
|
|
staff was done by members of the project team. The bulk of the
|
|
instruction for undergraduates was provided by biology teaching
|
|
assistants. The system and the instruction sessions were
|
|
received very favorably.
|
|
|
|
3.3 Production Version of the Gateway
|
|
|
|
After the completion of the grant-funded project and the success
|
|
of the first version of the Mann Library Gateway, library staff
|
|
decided to expand the system to include subject areas beyond
|
|
biology and agriculture and to expand the user population beyond
|
|
the original biology clientele. At this time, the original grant
|
|
project team was disbanded and a new team was formed. This new
|
|
group, the Gateway Production Group, was responsible for
|
|
maintenance and expansion of the Gateway system.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 14 +
|
|
|
|
In Winter 1991-1992, use of the system was opened to all
|
|
faculty and students in the colleges and divisions served by the
|
|
Mann Library. In 1992, use of the Gateway was opened to all
|
|
Cornellians. Use of the system is limited to the Cornell
|
|
community at present due to contractual requirements of some
|
|
database producers. Access to the system is controlled by
|
|
passwords issued at Mann Library.
|
|
A "public" version of the Gateway will eventually be
|
|
available to anyone. This "public" Gateway will provide access
|
|
to all resources except those which must be limited to the use of
|
|
Cornellians because of cost or contractual requirements. This
|
|
"public" Gateway will enable Mann Library to fulfill its role as
|
|
a land grant library in the electronic milieu.
|
|
|
|
3.4 Project Team
|
|
|
|
The membership of the project group has varied over the last four
|
|
years depending on the focus of Gateway development activities at
|
|
the time. Library-wide and campus-wide input has been crucial to
|
|
the development of a successful product.
|
|
The project team has been coordinated by Marty Schlabach, a
|
|
librarian from Public Services. A systems analyst/programmer has
|
|
always been a part of the group to provide leadership in Gateway
|
|
programming work. In addition, the Head of the Information
|
|
Technology Section has been an active participant in the group.
|
|
The Head of ITS provides the library- and campus-wide view for
|
|
technical discussions, and he brings to the group the authority
|
|
to make Mann Library hardware and software decisions. An
|
|
Interface Designer joined the Project Team soon after the project
|
|
began and has been a key influence in the development of an
|
|
easy-to-use system. A part-time Instruction Librarian was hired
|
|
to work with faculty to integrate the use of the Gateway and its
|
|
electronic resources into courses. The Head of Collection
|
|
Development coordinated the process of selecting databases to be
|
|
added to the Gateway. Another programmer and the Bibliographic
|
|
Files Librarian joined the group as we became more heavily
|
|
involved in mounting bibliographic databases locally.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 15 +
|
|
|
|
The current Gateway Production Group membership is:
|
|
|
|
o Marty Schlabach, Gateway Coordinator, Public Services
|
|
(Chairperson)
|
|
|
|
o Bill Fenwick, Programmer, ITS
|
|
|
|
o Bill Garrison, Interface Designer, ITS
|
|
|
|
o Tim Lynch, Systems Analyst and Head, ITS
|
|
|
|
o Oya Rieger, Numeric Files Librarian, Public Services
|
|
|
|
o Linda Stewart, Bibliographic Files Librarian, Public
|
|
Services
|
|
|
|
4.0 Training
|
|
|
|
Mann Library staff believe that providing instruction in the use
|
|
of electronic information and information technology is a
|
|
fundamental role of libraries. Library staff have provided
|
|
online searching classes and instruction in the use of software
|
|
for over ten years. As the Gateway has been made available,
|
|
online searching instruction has evolved from demonstrations of
|
|
remote vendors' databases and local CD-ROM searches to hands-on
|
|
classroom sessions. The Stone Microcomputer Center at Mann
|
|
Library includes a classroom with twenty networked workstations.
|
|
In this classroom, users receive instruction in basic and
|
|
advanced BRS searching, use of the Dialog Menus software, CARL
|
|
UnCover and RLIN searching, and use of numeric data--all
|
|
resources available through the Gateway. Almost every session
|
|
offers the opportunity for structured hands-on practice with
|
|
several trained searchers, who are available to answer user
|
|
questions.
|
|
The Mann Library provides instruction for classes at the
|
|
request of faculty, and it also conducts "open workshops" for any
|
|
interested members of the community. BIOSIS Previews instruction
|
|
for freshman biology students continues, and it is in its third
|
|
year. During the 1992-1993 academic year, library staff taught
|
|
over two hundred classes to almost 2,400 users.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 16 +
|
|
|
|
5.0 User Support
|
|
|
|
Mann Library staff provide support to users of the library's
|
|
printed and electronic collections. When the Gateway was first
|
|
made available to users in 1991, library staff had much more
|
|
experience with supporting users of printed materials. The
|
|
library administration's goal was to use the reference desk as
|
|
the front line of support for electronic library users, just as
|
|
it is for users of the traditional print library. Initially,
|
|
however, members of the grant project team provided support to
|
|
Gateway users. They answered the questions and kept records of
|
|
all questions asked and answers provided. These records were
|
|
later analyzed so that Gateway support documentation and training
|
|
could be provided to reference desk staff.
|
|
From the Gateway's earliest days, questions about which
|
|
telecommunications software to use, how to connect, how to
|
|
correct display problems, how to search, and how to save search
|
|
results came in person, via telephone, and through e-mail. Many
|
|
questions also came in from people who had forgotten their user
|
|
IDs and/or passwords. During the initial months, these questions
|
|
were answered by two librarians, a systems analyst, and the
|
|
administrative assistant in charge of managing user IDs and
|
|
passwords.
|
|
In Spring 1992, the front line of support for Gateway users
|
|
was moved to the reference desk. Most desk staff were
|
|
experienced bibliographic searchers and were easily trained to
|
|
answer questions about searching databases available through the
|
|
Gateway. Questions regarding logging in and use of
|
|
telecommunications software required more training. Workshops
|
|
presenting information about telecommunications software were
|
|
developed and presented by reference librarians and systems
|
|
analysts. Members of the Gateway Production Group prepared an
|
|
informational notebook for use by reference desk staff. This
|
|
notebook contains handouts explaining use of various databases,
|
|
detailed login procedures, and brief guides to major
|
|
telecommunication packages used with the Gateway.
|
|
At present, most telephone calls and in-person requests for
|
|
assistance with the Gateway arrive first at the reference desk.
|
|
Most questions are answered at that point. When necessary,
|
|
reference staff refer questions to experts on the Mann Library
|
|
staff. E-mail requests for assistance arrive at the general e-
|
|
mail address for the Reference department, and, when necessary,
|
|
are also referred to experts.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 17 +
|
|
|
|
In Spring 1993, an online method for distributing Gateway
|
|
handouts was developed and made available as a choice on the
|
|
Gateway menu. Now, users often find their own answers. This has
|
|
been an important supplement to other support services.
|
|
While Mann Library remains the main source for Gateway user
|
|
support, other libraries in the Cornell University Library system
|
|
have taken on significant support responsibilities for Gateway
|
|
users in their own user populations.
|
|
|
|
6.0 User Response
|
|
|
|
The Gateway system has been very well received, as evidenced by
|
|
the huge increase in sessions per day. When the system first
|
|
became available, the usage averaged fewer than 100 Gateway
|
|
sessions per day. The average use now often exceeds 700 sessions
|
|
per day. In May 1992, the system supported a monthly total of
|
|
1,989 sessions; by May 1993, the monthly total was 5,188 Gateway
|
|
uses. November 1993 saw a new high of more than 15,000 Gateway
|
|
sessions.
|
|
The library has also received many favorable comments about
|
|
the Gateway from students, instructors, researchers, and
|
|
extension personnel.
|
|
|
|
7.0 Future Plans
|
|
|
|
An additional group has been formed to plan and develop the next
|
|
version of the Gateway. The Gateway Development Group, which
|
|
includes some members of the Gateway Production Group, began its
|
|
work by inviting a few people from the library to join in a
|
|
brainstorming session about what the next Gateway should be able
|
|
to do. This resulted in two documents which were used as
|
|
springboards for discussion in a number of focus groups. The
|
|
focus groups included representatives of faculty and staff who
|
|
use the Gateway for research and instruction as well as library
|
|
and technical staff from across the campus. Suggestions from
|
|
these focus groups were described in a recent article. [1]
|
|
The Gateway Development Group then drafted a requirements
|
|
document that summarizes the features and functions desirable to
|
|
have in the next Gateway. Client/server architecture and a
|
|
window-based user interface are the key technical foundations of
|
|
the next Gateway environment. The requirements document is
|
|
currently being discussed and the planning and design process is
|
|
underway. The Gateway Development Group's goal is to have an
|
|
operational prototype available by Summer 1994.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 18 +
|
|
|
|
8.0 Conclusion
|
|
|
|
Information resources are increasingly available in electronic
|
|
form. Given recent advances in networks, telecommunications, and
|
|
computers, librarians must provide access to electronic resources
|
|
in a distributed manner. In addition, it is the librarian's
|
|
responsibility to organize and facilitate easy access to those
|
|
resources.
|
|
The Mann Library has taken steps toward providing that ease
|
|
of access by creating the Gateway. In addition to offering the
|
|
library's clientele a wide diversity of electronic resources, the
|
|
Gateway provides a single entry point to this panoply of
|
|
databases, and it assists users in identifying and selecting
|
|
appropriate resources.
|
|
The Cornell community has accepted and embraced the system,
|
|
and increasingly it expects additional resources, services, and
|
|
capabilities. Usage continues to escalate, as electronic
|
|
resources are integrated into the daily lives of faculty,
|
|
researchers, and students.
|
|
Although the system is sophisticated in its capabilities and
|
|
it is easy to use, it is technically "primitive." The Mann
|
|
Library is now utilizing newly available technologies to meet
|
|
users' expectations by developing the next generation of the
|
|
Gateway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
|
|
|
|
1. Susan J. Barnes, "An Electronic Library Grows," Computers in
|
|
Libraries 13 (September 1993): 12-15.
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the Authors
|
|
|
|
Martin L. Schlabach, Gateway Coordinator, Albert R. Mann Library,
|
|
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phone: (607) 255-7959.
|
|
Internet: mls5@cornell.edu.
|
|
|
|
Susan J. Barnes, Head of Public Services, Albert R. Mann Library,
|
|
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phone: (607) 255-7957.
|
|
Internet: sjb5@cornell.edu.
|
|
|
|
+ Page 19 +
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is an electronic
|
|
journal that is distributed on the Internet and on other computer
|
|
networks. There is no subscription fee.
|
|
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to
|
|
listserv@uhupvm1.uh.edu that says: SUBSCRIBE PACS-P First Name
|
|
Last Name. PACS-P subscribers also receive three electronic
|
|
newsletters: Current Cites, LITA Newsletter, and Public-Access
|
|
Computer Systems News.
|
|
This article is Copyright (C) 1994 by Martin L. Schlabach
|
|
and Susan J. Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
The Public-Access Computer Systems Review is Copyright (C)
|
|
1994 by the University Libraries, University of Houston. All
|
|
Rights Reserved.
|
|
Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by academic
|
|
computer centers, computer conferences, individual scholars, and
|
|
libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their
|
|
collection, in electronic or printed form, at no charge. This
|
|
message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use
|
|
requires permission.
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|