ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

NEW TECHNOLGY

•Camber-Roth has introduced an electronic conferencing software package called CAUCUS. The software allows groups with tight schedules or scattered locations to interact at their scheduling convenience, with input recorded like the minutes of an ordinary meeting. Multiple conferences can be run on a variety of topics or subtopics. Each user is automatically shown new activity by conference and subtopic; older material is readily accessed if needed. The organizer of each conference determines which users can have access to the discussion. For further information or to join a demo conference, contact Camber-Roth, 243 Hoosick Street, Troy, NY 12180; (518) 273-0983.

• Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration research library has begun a comprehensive reference service for hospitality industry practitioners. Called HOSTLINE, this service gives managers and researchers direct access to the extensive library resources of both the Cornell Hotel School and Cornell University. Librarians and research assistants at the School will be able to provide users with published statistical and factual information; bibliographic citations; extensive literature searches; and access to related online services, such as Management Contents or ABI/In- form. The fee for HOSTLINE services is $55 per hour. Other charges (database fees, copying, computer time) are billed directly. For more information, contact the School of Hotel Administration, Statler Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853- 6901; (607) 255-3673.

•INDEXITis a new IBM PC program designed for anyone who is preparing an index. The system allows you to enter, alphabetize, update, and print subject or topical indexes. It also can interfile upper and lower case, file either letter-by-letter or word-by-word, and (most unusual for computer indexes) can ignore punctuation marks when alphabetizing. Maximum index length is 5000 entries. Cross-references may be entered at any point, and many different types of page and volume number references can be used. INDEXIT was written by Allan D. Pratt, founding editor of Small Computers for Libraries. The system can be run on an IBM PC or compatibles. Contact Graham-Conley Press, P.O. Box 2968, New Haven, CT 06515; (203) 389-0183.

•MacNeal Hospital has enhanced its interlibrary loan software, F.I.L.L.S. (Fast Inter Library Loans and Statistics), a package that can track which lending libraries fill orders at the most reasonable cost with the best service, which journals are borrowed repeatedly, and which library and customer loans are outstanding. The upgrade can be used with either On-Tyme or Western Union’s Easylink electronic mail system; it can print mailing labels off its library address database; and it can print or send entered loan requests in batches or singly. Contact MacNeal Hospital, Health Sciences Resource Center, 3249 S. Oak Park Avenue, Berwyn, IL 60402.

•Personal Bibliographic Software, Inc., has acquired Pro-Search and In-Search (its predecessor) from the Menlo Corporation of Santa Clara, California. Pro-Search is a specialized communications program for searching the online databases of Dialog and BRS information services. Pro-Search, together with other PBS products, allows users to access several mainframe bibliographic or textual databases, download the records, convert them into a single microcomputer format, and make them into punctuated, formatted bibliographies. These reformatted records are compatible with most word processors. Another PBS product, Pro- Cite, provides flexible data-entry workforms that allow users to create and maintain a database of records that can be printed according to the style sheet of any journal or association. For further information, contact Personal Bibliographic Software, P.O. Box 4250, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; (313) 996-1580.

•Raychem Corporation has introduced the

TraceTek 100 Leak Sensing and Locating System, designed to detect and pinpoint water leaks in libraries, museums, art galleries, and archival systems. The TraceTek system consists of a watersensing polymer cable connected to an electronic alarm module. As soon as the cable senses water, an alarm is sounded and the module simultaneously displays the distance in feet from the leak to the module. By referring to a system map, the user can quickly identify the precise location of the leak. Unlike point sensors, the cable provides continuous sensing at all points along its length. The system is priced at $3-$4 per foot of cable and $1500 per module. Contact Raychem Corporation, 300 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025; (415) 361- 3333. ■■