ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

NEW TECHNOLOGY

•Baker & Taylor and the R.R. Bowker Company have announced a new agreement on the exchange of bibliographic data on a regular basis as part of the final test phase of Bowker’s Book Acquisition System (BAS) which begins test marketing this month. During this phase Baker & Taylor will be electronically linked to the Bowker system. The agreement ensures that BAS users and B&T customers will benefit from the most complete and current bibliographic and price information on more than 850,000 titles representing more than 15,0 publishers. The Bowker Books in Print database will receive daily price and status updates from Baker & Taylor in its ongoing business transactions, and Baker & Taylor will receive enhancements to its ISBN and forthcoming book information. Access to BAS will be provided by BRS. For further information, contact Baker & Taylor, 6 Kirby Avenue, Somerville, NJ 08876; (201) 722- 8000.

•EIC/Intelligence, Inc., has produced a new online database that covers information on the telecommunications industry, including regulation, domestic and international product developments, new research, financial reports, and management shifts. The database, called Tele/Scope, also offers full-text document retrieval and electronic mail capability. Contact: EIC/Intelligence, Inc., 48 West 38th Street, New York, NY 10018; (800) 223-6275.

•The Educational Testing Service has developed an online database, called Test Collection, of information on tests and assessment instruments. It can be accessed through BRS and includes measures of achievement, aptitude, intelligence, interests, personality, sensory-motor skills, special populations, and vocational-occupational areas. The descriptions include the test title, subtests, author, year of publication, indexing terms, availability, and other detailed information. For more information, contact Michael Kremin, BRS, 1200 Route 7, Latham, NY 12110; (518) 783-1161.

•The F.W. Faxon Company introduced two new services at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January. INFOSERV is a database of all new serial titles announced during the past three years, as well as serials that have undergone a significant change in title, publisher, edition, or scope. Libraries do not have to be a Faxon customer or a LINX user to access INFOSERV. Union List is a new module on LINX, the Faxon online serials management system. Union List groups can add, share, and maintain up-to-date information on their collective titles and holdings. Products include both group lists and individual member lists in hard copy, tape, or microfiche. For further information, contact F.W. Faxon Co., 15 Southwest Park, Westwood, MA 02090; (617) 329-3350.

•Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, has contracted with Biblio-Techniques to purchase the BLIS bibliographic subsystem software in support of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library’s online catalog. It will eventually replace the card catalog as the union catalog for the university’s six autonomous libraries. Initially the system will be used by library staff to complete the retrospective conversion of the library’s 1.2 million bibliographic records. A $1.2 million grant from the Pew Memorial Trust provided the funds for the acquisition of hardware and software and for part of the retrospective conversion.

•Personal Bibliographic Software, Inc., has developed a Data Transfer System that allows personal computer users to download records from online library catalogs such as OCLC and RLIN and convert the record to a correctly punctuated, formatted bibliographic citation in a personal database. The system is a companion to the company’s Personal Bibliographic System, and together they allow the user to compile, edit, and manage bibliographies. The system can download sound recordings, films, video recordings, maps, and music scores in addition to books and journal articles. The program is available for the IBM PC, Apple, and Victor 9000 microcomputers. Minimum requirements are 64K of memory, two disk drives, a serial interface, modem, and the Personal Bibliographic System. Contact Personal Bibliographic Software, P.O. Box 4250, Ann Arbor, MI 48106; (313) 996- 1580.

•Simmons College, Boston, has been awarded a $3,300 grant from OCLC to support development of MicroUse, a microcomputer-based database that will provide current information on microcomputer applications in libraries and information centers. Researchers at the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science will carry out the project. Over 400 library microcomputer applications have been entered into the database and the development team is actively searching for additional ones through newsletters, journals, users groups, and direct correspondence. Libraries or information centers with special projects involving microcomputers should contact Ching-chih Chen, GSLIS, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115.

• University Microfilms International has launched an electronic mail order service to researchers and librarians. Shipment of listed articles from more than 7,300 periodicals is guaranteed within 48 hours of the order entry. Hard copies of articles may be ordered electronically through several major computer communications systems including the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Subsystem, CLASS OnTyme, and ITT Dialcom, which supports the ALANET network. The system guarantees that reproduction rights of copyrighted materials have been obtained and the royalty fees paid. Most of the articles listed since 1978 in such indexes as Index Medicus, the H.W. Wilson indexes, CIJE, Engineering Index, and others are available. For further information, write the UMI Article Clearinghouse, 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

•The University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Library reports that complete automation has resulted in a 10% increase in library use over the same period a year ago. Bibliographic records were placed into a Data Phase database as part of the ALIS II software package which became operational in January 1983. John J. Jax, assistant dean of learning resources, attributed the increased use to the added ease and efficiency of catalog searching and circulation transactions.