Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Scrutinizing Cataloging Copy, Julie Banks

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

In order to determine if cataloging copy today is as acceptable as past copy, the researcher compared additions and corrections to a random sample of monographic copy that corresponded to the books that went through the cataloging department during 2006 at Southeast Missouri State University with previously reported editing work from several libraries. The outcome was that more editing was required today, but it was not possible to identify whether this was due to the rapidly changing cataloging environment or to the higher level of editing performed.

Usability Testing At Florida International University Libraries: What We Learned, Sarah J. Hammill

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

The Florida International University Libraries’ Web site’s new look was launched in Fall 2001. As a result of the new look, a group formed to undertake a usability study on the top page of the site. The group tested three target groups to determine the usability of the top page. The study pointed out some revisions for the top page; however, more importantly, it suggested areas for future research.

The Coverage And Duplication Of Journals In Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (Csa): Bioengineering Database And Other Science And Engineering Databases, Lutishoor Salisbury, Emilio Noguera

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

As collection development librarians we aim to provide comprehensive information access to our users in order to support their research and curricular needs. For academic libraries, like the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, that support the information needs within a range of subject areas in science and technology, it makes economic sense to attempt to provide this access in discipline-oriented databases. Discipline-oriented databases cover a range of subjects but also provide depth in coverage.

Bearing this in mind, the journals that are indexed in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) Bioengineering database were analyzed to ascertain the degree of overlap with other …

A Survey Of Four Libraries In Kunming: Library Automation And Modernization In A Far Removed Province In China, Jianli Li, Mary Francis Marx

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

As of 2000, over the last fifteen years, in a major effort at modernization and with an increasing investment by the Chinese government, China established more than twenty national information systems. The libraries we visited were member of some of those national information systems. These national information systems have been charged with setting up the basic foundations of an information industry. They belong to, respectively, the Education System, the Cultural Ministry, the Science and Technology Committee System, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Cataloging Expert Systems: Optimism And Frustrated Reality, William Olmstadt

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

There is little question that computers have profoundly changed how information professionals work. The process of cataloging and classifying library materials was one of the first activities transformed by information technology. The introduction of the MARC format in the 1960s and the creation of national bibliographic utilities in the 1970s had a lasting impact on cataloging. In the 1980s, the affordability of microcomputers made the computer accessible for cataloging, even to small libraries. This trend toward automating library processes with computers parallels a broader societal interest in the use of computers to organize and store information. Following World War II, …

Are Transaction Logs Useful? A Ten-Year Study, Julie Banks

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

Introduction

Transaction log analysis has long been a staple in academic libraries. Recently, for example, authors have reported on transaction logs and their use in identifying access point use, re-engineering the online public access catalog (OPAC), improving search retrieval, utilizing flip charts at terminals, and employing log data for general personnel management. There are still questions left unanswered, however, about the usefulness of transaction log analysis in marshalling personnel resources. One is whether the logs have predictive value over a span of time, and another is whether any useful trends can be discerned from the logs' data. To answer these …

Metadata In A Digital Special Library: The Energy And Environmental Information Resources Center In Lafayette, Louisiana, Dan Foley

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

This paper discusses three kinds of metadata and how they are used in the Energy & Environmental Information Resources Center (EE-IR Center), a digital special library of text, numeric, and geospatial data, located in Lafayette, Louisiana. These metadata are Dublin Core (DC), MARC21 (formerly USMARC), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata.

The EE-IR Center was formed as a partnership between the National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Advanced Computer Studies of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (CACS/USL). Both partners are located in Lafayette, Louisiana. The EE-IR Center is funded by a …