CDL Database Transitions

August 15, 2002 Author: CDLCategories:

Next week, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) will put the UC-eLinks icon into operation in its databases; rather than using the text link “UC-eLinks”, as it is currently doing.

CDL licensed databases from CSA include the following, and many campuses also license others:

ARTbibliographies Modern
Environmental RouteNet
ERIC
GeoRef
PAIS International
PsycINFO
Social Services Abstracts
Sociological Abstracts

b. AutoAlerts and Enhanced AutoAlerts in Ovid

Enhanced AutoAlerts will be released next week in the Ovid Databases (BIOSIS, Current Contents, EI Compendex*Plus, INSPEC, and MLA International Bibliography). AutoAlerts allows a saved search to run automatically without any intervention on the user’s part after it is saved in an Ovid database. Enhanced AutoAlerts allow users to receive email notification of new articles and citations that meet the criteria of earlier saved searches.

Information on how to set up this feature will be found in Ovid Help, under Saved Searches -> What’s an AutoAlert? For information about Enhanced AutoAlerts go to Saved Searches -> Running and Editing Saved Searches -> Enhanced AutoAlerts.

Ovid has also enabled a new feature called Personal Accounts. UC is getting early access to this feature prior to its official release to other customers because we requested it specifically to protect user privacy and ease of use for AutoAlerts. It allows users to create their own user name and password, similar to the existing Profile option in CDL-hosted databases. Ovid Resource Liaisons participated in the beta test of this feature and Ovid implemented all of their suggestions.

c. Changes in the Welcome Page for CDL-Hosted Databases

On Tuesday August 20, 2002, the welcome page for the CDL-hosted databases [http://www.dbs.cdlib.org] will change from its current display to a new display intended to better promote the use of the vendor versions of the transitioning databases, and to prepare for the retirement of the CDL-hosted versions at the end of December. This change is being made with the advice of and consultation with the Transition Steering Committee (TSC). This will be a significant change for many users of the Melvyl catalog and CDL-hosted databases.

Specifically, the “More databases” pull down menu located at the bottom of the web page will be repositioned directly beneath the “news” section at the top of the page. The menu name will change from “more databases” to “UC licensed databases” which more accurately describes the content of this menu. (This menu is suppressed from the web page display when accessed by non-UC IP addresses, as is currently done with the “More databases” menu.)

Additionally, the CDL-hosted A&I databases will be removed from the CDL search interface (“Choose a database” menu), leaving only the Melvyl Catalog and Periodicals Titles databases available in what will now be the second menu.

A screen shot of the new page is available at: http://www.cdlib.org/images/newcdlhostedpage.jpg

After December 31, 2002, the “Melvyl Catalog/Periodicals Titles” welcome page (currently the CDL-hosted databases welcome page) will no longer provide access to any of the UC-licensed resources. Users will be able to reach the UC-licensed resources from the pull down menu on the CDL’s Collections & Services web page (http://www.cdlib.org/collections) or from links on campus library web sites.

d. Ex Libris Melvyl Tells

The second issue of El Mel Tells comes out today, August 15, with articles on how the display record for the Melvyl-T catalog is chosen, how the new catalog uses LC authority records, and continued profiles of CDL staff working on Melvyl-T. Check it out at [http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/elmeltells/emtv1n2.html]