CDL Database Transitions
a. GeoRef Vendor Chosen
The Transition Steering Committee (TSC) has recommended Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) as the vendor for GeoRef. GeoRef access via CSA will begin July 1, 2001. As with all recommendations, this one comes after the committee members reviewed analyses by Resource Liaisons and their colleagues, the web survey responses to vendor trials, and vendor responses to technical issues. CSA’s GeoRef includes GRIP, the American Geological Institute’s GeoRef In Process file, which includes translated articles and some older materials.
As stated in the CDL-hosted Database FAQ [http://www.cdlib.org/news/cdlhosteddatabases.html#5], the GeoRef@STANFORD database is on a different transition timeline from the other databases being transitioned off the CDL system. Due to changes in the GeoRef data processing from OCLC, Stanford’s GeoRef file is out of date. Stanford plans to discontinue its version by the end of summer 2001. CDL staff are working with Stanford to determine exactly how long it will continue to provide access.
Links to holdings and content from GeoRef via CSA will become available this fall; CDL technical staff are working with CSA to provide this necessary component as soon as possible.
b. Transition Steering Committee (TSC) Makes Recommendations
The TSC has made its recommendations for vendors for the remainder of the CDL-hosted databases. At this time, the recommendations are confidential since negotiations with the vendors are in progress. As soon as the business model and summary of terms have been agreed upon, the names of the chosen vendors will be announced.
The Transition Steering Committee will continue to advise on implementation issues, including planning for training and other education efforts. More information will be forthcoming as vendor agreements are signed.
Information about the A&I Transition for library staff is available at: (http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/sharedcoll/a-i-trans/).
Information about the A&I Transition for the public is available at: http://www.cdlib.org/news/cdlhosteddatabases.html.
c. Some Vendor Interfaces Are Available Now
This is a reminder that for most of the CDL-hosted Z39.50 Databases the source vendors will not change (either the existing vendor is the sole licensed provider of the database or, as is the case with H. W. Wilson, we recently licensed some of their databases).
Below is a list of these databases. Access to them is currently available through their native interfaces. When the CDL-hosted versions of these databases departs as part of the A&I Transition, access to these databases will move entirely to the vendor’s native interface no later than December, 2002.
However, you may preview these databases now via their native interfaces from the CDL Directory by searching either the individual database title (e.g., Francis) or by vendor name (e.g., H.W. Wilson). Individual campuses may also license other databases from these vendors; these will appear when a search is conducted under the vendor name.
From H.W. Wilson:
ArtAbstracts
Art Index Retrospective
From OCLC:
ArticleFirst
PapersFirst
ProceedingsFirst
WorldCat
From RLG:
Anthropological Literature
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Chicano Database
English Short Title Catalog
History of Science and Technology
FRANCIS
Index to Nineteenth-Century American Art Periodicals
RLIN Bibliographic File
SCIPIO
d. UC Library Staff Briefing Sheet
A two-sided briefing sheet explaining the CDL transitions of the Melvyl Catalog and vendors for the CDL-hosted abstracting and indexing journal databases is available for all UC library staff at (http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/comm/outreach/UCLibrary_Staff_briefing_sheet.rtf) .
The sheet is intended to inform staff about upcoming changes in access to these databases. The information is in rtf format so it can be adapted for use in campus library publications.