[323] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Staff Publications Databases--Summary
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Fri May 22 09:59:17 1992
Date: Fri, 22 May 1992 08:51:30 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
From: agsmith@matai.vuw.ac.nz
Subject: Staff Publications databases - summary
Recently I posted a request on PACS-L and LIS-LINK for information
on Staff (i.e. Faculty) publications databases. Thanks to all who responded.
Alastair Smith |
Department of Library and Information Studies | Phone: +64 4 472 1000 x 8687
Victoria University of Wellington | Fax: +64 4 495 5197
PO Box 600 | Email: agsmith@matai.vuw.ac.nz
Wellington |
New Zealand |
The responses follow:
From: pgw@equinox.unr.edu
I sense that you might be interested, not just in making these
publications available, but also in larger-scale efforts in the
future?? If so, you might want to poke around in the archives
for the CWIS-L archives (LISTSERV@WUVMD.BITNET) and/or to subsccribe
to that list?? Also, you might want to retrieve a copy of Judy
Hallman's draft of her CWIS paper via ftp from ftp.oit.unc.edu
in /pub/docs. It's available in varioous formats. Filename is
hallman.*
If you would like assistance with pursuing any of this, let me know.
*-----
From: tleonhardt@MADVAX.UOP.EDU
This is probably not what you are looking for but I refer you to an article
in the June 1991 issue of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND LIBRARIES by Lyn
MacCorkle entitled "Publishing an Annual Faculty Bibiography at the
University of Miami."
*-----
From: lorna@mila.ps.uci.edu
We are using Wais (free) software for our database of research
articles on the subject of Music and the Brain. Each
article/book chapter, containing referencing information, is a
separate document for the wais source. Full text search
capabilities are provided, already, by the wais software. Wais
allows access across the network and is coded to allow for clients
and servers on a variety of hardware. Are you familiar with wais?
Would you like references - or a pointer to the ftp-able code?
*-----
From: lorna@mila.ps.uci.edu
Our database is not yet available for public access. Unfortunately,
the current wais software doesn't allow for obtaining more than 40
documents which satisfy the search words. It also doesn't yet have
any boolean capabilities for searching. These capabilities will be
in the next release (some time in the next 6 months). The two
faculty members here who head up our project want to wait until
those functions are available before releasing the database for
public access. In the meantime, we are busy building the database.
It is a slow, tedious, process, for we mostly scan in the references
(citations, abstracts, book chapter first pages) and then
individually edit them, log them, and then, finally, add them into
the wais database. And, of course, I haven't even mentioned the
time needed to select the citations and then located them in the
library! The whole process is quite labor intensive.
*-----
From: IRADLIB@IRAD.AFRC.AC.UK
This response is from the Compton Laboratory of the AFRC Institute for
Animal Health. AFRC = Agricultural and Food Research Council.
AFRC libraries use BRS-Search software (It is produced by the Maxwell
Communications Corp. In spite of what happened to Maxwell and some of
the business, it is thought that BRS-Search will continue to be supported).
We have BRS_Search on a VAX computer ith the VMS operating system, but
there is a UNIX version too.
The software is quite complex but one of the advantages is that you can
format your output in as many different ways as you require. So lists
of publications can be produced, formatted for publication in an
Annual Report or lists of pubs associated with various project numbers etc.
For collecting the information, it helps to be involved in the reprint-
ordering process (even if no additional reprints are wanted but just the
free ones). Some things like papers at conferences can slip through the
net but it academic staff see a published list minus their out-put, they
are more likely to ensure that their paper(s) don't get missed out next time.
*-----
From: Paul Barker <P.Barker@cs.ucl.ac.uk>
I have a project to investigate using X.500 directory services to
provide this sort of service. It might be too reasearchy for you, but if
you are interested, I could send you a copy of the proposal to give you some
idea of what we hope to get up to.
P.S. If you are interested, I can send you PostScript, or some cut down
.txt version.
*-----
From: "Tony Sumner (0734) 318436"
<SUQSUMNR%CMS.AM.RDG.AC.UK@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
On the matter of software one useful method of
storing and disseminating the list might be
to use a Campus-Wide Information Server. The one
I am currently working on at Reading -- for all
sorts of information but including (eventually
anyway) research
publications -- is based on software I got from
Bristol University. It is menu driven and very
easy and I am pleased with it. It is not a
proper database management system but it does
allow the user to eg select those items that
contain a given text string. It may be best to
enter the data into a DBMS for sorting and
updating and so on and post the list to the
cwis from time to time.
There are others,
of course, but if you wanted to know more aobut
the bristol one you could try mail to
P.Smee@uk.ac.bristol
For the Southampton cwis mail
CPI111@uk.ac.southempton.ibm (yes that is eye one one one)
*-----
From: Julia M Hill <CENJMH@VAXB.HERIOT-WATT.AC.UK>
This is one type of information which we envisaged would be suitable
for holding in an X.500 directory. Some investigative work has
been done on this type of information, and the people to whom I have
copied this reply may have further helpful comments for you.
*-----
From: tmciolek@coombs.anu.edu.au
One possibility - put the whole thing on a HyperCard and run it via the
AppleTalk. The only problem is that this is a solution of value only to the
Mac users.
Another possibility - save each reference as a separate file, process it
through the WAIS index-building software and turn it into a WAIS server
available via Internet throughout the campus, NZ, the whole Internet world.
The second option is precisely the course we are taking with the records of
the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau. They will be ready as a very nice and
responsive WAIS database on the 21 May 92.
As far as the data collection is concerned - I found from my experience
that (a) contributions have to be voluntary otherwise the quality of their
format is not too good; (b) contributions have to be in electronic (not
paper !) form; (c) a lot of leg-work and talking and seducing has to be
done at the initial stages - to persuade people that the project is
worthwhile; (d) both heads and non-heads of a given dept have to be
approached on separate occasions; (e) established personal contacts are
more fruitful (in terms of materials provided for the database) than the
brand new contacts; (f) once a basic kernel of information is collected the
life is much easier - you merely say that other scholars at the University
are already taking full advantage of the modern technology and it will be
pity if the work of our interlocutors was under-represented in the database
in question (it is like selling land in the real estate project - once x%
of the land is sold others joint the project eagerly, but very few people
like to be the first and only participants in an untried project.
*-----
From: KRMRR@CLEMSON.CLEMSON.EDU
Hi, I would recommend using PRO-Cite. This database works very well
with publications (it should that's what it's designed to do). It
also has nice display and formatting capabilities. I have used it
to create a database and then reformat it and load it into a main
frame. All in all, I think it would do the job for you. It is also
fairly easy to learn so students could do the inputting.
*-----
From: THOMPSON%EVMSVMS.bitnet@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU
Renee Mansheim and I are currently surveying academic health science
libraries about faculty publications databases in these libraries.
We are gathering information on how they collect data, what system
they use to organize the database (manual or automated, what type of
software, what type of hardware), and how they use the information
in these databases. We would be glad to send you our preliminary
report which we are sending to all respondents, if you are interested.
Please send me an email message on bitnet.
*-----
From: Debra Rand <rand@aecom.yu.edu>
We have compiling a staff publications list for many years and about three
years ago we started using Pro-Cite to speed up the process.
We first do searches on the relevant databases (either CD-ROM based or online)
and convert the results to a Pro-Cite database using their Bibliolinks
software. We index the Pro-Cite database by spital department and send the
first draft to the departments for additions and corrections. We then add
the additions manually to the database and print the final edition, again
indexed by department. Using the database format we can easily post to
more than one dept. when appropriate. We also print a list of the journals
in which we are publishing which the Research Committee can review.
You can contact me if you have any questions. I will be at the Med. Lib. Assoc.
meeting from the 14th till the 22nd. I hope that you will summarize your
responses for the list. I am interested in hearing what others do. I am
no longer on Pacs-l myself but my associate is and she can forward the
message to me or you can mail to me directly. good luck!
*-----
From: Michael Taranto <mtaranto%SURA.NET@WUVMD.Wustl.Edu>
SURAnet archives a copy of the Campus Wide Information Systems list,
which is produced by Judy Hallman, of UNC.
Campus Wide Information Systems (CWIS) List
A list of CWIS sites located in the United States, Canada,
Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. This list is also a good
starting point for locating an individual's email address, telephone
number, or mail address. Many of these sites allow access to campus
libraries, regional networks, and other information systems.
Access: ftp.sura.net Directory: nic
File: cwis.list
This list is also available at UNC.
You can pick up this list by anonymous FTP to ftp.oit.unc.edu; it
is in pub/docs/cwis-l.
The Extended Bulletin Board (EBB), offered by UNC-CH, can connect
you to many of the information systems in this list. You may
access the EBB through Telnet, using bbs.oit.unc.edu as the
connection. For "username" type 'bbs'. When you get the EBB's
menu, select item 9., "On-line Information Systems."
