ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Optical local area network at Walla Walla College

Installation of an optical network at Peterson Memorial Library, Walla Walla College, has proved to be popular among students and faculty. A 1990 fall survey of students usingthe networked LaserCats elicited these overwhelmingly positive comments: “They’re great!” and “I like it, thanks for getting them.” Grants totalling $28,759 from the college’s Committee of 100 funded the two-year project.

Librarians at Peterson were looking for an inexpensive way to provide computerized access to their collections. Key personnel at the Campus Computer Center suggested developing an optical network allowing multiple access to CD-ROM products. They knew we were already using LaserCat, a CD-ROM version of Western Library Network’s bibliographic database, and thought it a prime candidate. LaserCat provides access to the holdings of over 496 public, special, research, and academic libraries, including Peterson’s. As of December 1991, 3.7 million records were available through LaserCat. WLN member libraries are concentrated in the Pacific Northwest. Peterson has been using Western Library Network as their bibliographic utility since 1980.

By November 1990 the optical network had become a reality. Using LaserCat as the library’s main catalog, patrons can execute exact, keyword, or browse searches. Six public access workstations are located in the library. Five of them are dedicated to operating LaserCat. A sixth, added in September 1991, supports Academic Abstracts, a CD-ROM index covering 769 academic and general periodicals. Workstations share printers. Signs naming the CD product in operation cover the floppy disc drives on each workstation, effectively eliminating problems with students trying to access the campus network for other purposes. To bring the system up each morning, Network and CD product software are automatically loaded onto the library’s computers. Over 400 computers located in student PC labs and faculty offices have shared access to both products through the main campus network.

The optical network consists of the server, a Dell 386 PC, and 6 Toshiba 3200 CD-ROM drives, which are connected to the campus’ ethemet network backbone. OptiNet software drives the server. Novell’s NetWare is the operating system for the larger campus network. Twisted-pair cabling provides the basic infrastructure.

Because of the success of our optical network, Walla Walla High School Library used increased funding for technology, provided by the school district, to install an optical network modelled after ours. Since the fall of 1991, their students have had access to Wilson’s Reader’s Guide and General Science Index.

Response time is slower on the optical networks because CD-ROM products execute searches more slowly than an automated system does. The major problem we have experienced with the optical network, however, occurs when campus network operating software is upgraded. Such upgrades have inadvertently affected not only the operation of the optical network but access to it by older PCs. Our Campus Computer Center personnel have found that a thorough re-examination of the optical network is needed after all regular network upgrades. Over all, though, we have been quite pleased with the performance of our optical network.

Carolyn Gaskeïl, Peterson Memorial Library, Walla Walla College