File contents

<title> vol3no1</title>
<H1><img ALIGN=TOP src="GIF/fondren_logo.gif">News From Fondren</H1><H3>A 
Library Newsletter to the Rice University Community</H3><p>
<h4>volume 3, number 1,                                                Spring 1993</H4><p>
<hr><hr>

<h3>In this Issue</h3><ul>
<li><a href="#current"><i>Current Contents</i> Online: A New Way of Keeping Up to Date</a>
<li><a href="#guide">Tips on Using Current Contents</a>
<li><a href="#dyk">Did You Know...</a>
<li><a href="#articles">Obtaining Articles from <i>Current Contents</i></a>
<li><a href="#riceinfo">RiceInfo Brings the World to Your Desktop</a>
<li><a href="#wired">Wired Historians:  RiceInfo and Other Network Services Invaluable to Two Rice Faculty Members</a>
<li><a href="#locations">Fondren Library Locations and Frequently Called Numbers</a>
</ul>
<p>


<hr><hr>



<h3><a name="current">Current Contents Online: A New Way of Keeping Up to Date</h3></a>
Martin Halbert,
Head of Networked Systems,
halbert@ricevm1.rice.edu, and<br>
Kerry Keck,
Coordinator of Collection Development & Electronic Information Resources,
keckker@ricevm1.rice.edu
<p>
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the information explosion, there is a new tool available to keep up
with the newest articles in your field of study. <a HREF="gopher://riceinfo.rice.edu:1101/11/CurrentContents"><i>Current Contents with Abstracts</I></a> are now available to
you from any networked workstation. 
<p>
The Current Contents information service lists articles taken from the tables of contents of more than
2000 scientific and technical journals.  Previously available only in print form, the Current Contents
database is now accessible online as a feature of <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/"><i>RiceInfo</i></a>, Rice University's campus wide information
system.
<p>

<a href="GIF/gopher.gif"><img src="GIF/gopher_thumb.gif"></a><p>
<b><i> Current Contents with Abstracts</i> is under the Library Services menu
of <i> RiceInfo</i> (seen here on a UNIX account)</b>

<p>
The Current Contents service is composed of
a variety of databases published by the Institute for Scientific Information on different fields of study. 
The broad subject areas covered by the database available on <i>RiceInfo </i> include engineering, physics,
chemistry, earth sciences, biology, environmental science, and other applied sciences.  <i>Current Contents with Abstracts </i> is updated weekly with more than 7000 new citations.
<p>
Additional coverage of the arts, humanities, and social sciences is available through the print versions
of Current Contents in Fondren Library.

<h4>How <i>Current Contents</i> benefits the researcher</h4>

The sheer number of scientific journals makes it difficult to stay abreast of a field of research on an
ongoing basis.  Since Current Contents is updated every week and includes the table of contents
information of journals less than a month old, a quick check of the database enables researchers to
find the most recently published articles in their areas of interest.
<p>
The database can be searched by keyword, phrase, or combinations of keywords.  The citations and
abstracts found in the database may be saved to file or printed. 
<p>
 This "snapshot" of the latest research
on any topic, thereby automates much of the tedious work required to canvas a new topic.  The abstracts promote the researcher's ability to identify the articles most useful in supporting research.
<p>
The information is available when and where needed by the faculty member or student.<i>
Current Contents with Abstracts </I> is available round-the-clock.  Researchers do not need to spend time
walking from lab or office to Fondren Library in order to access the desired information.

<h4>Accessing <i>Current Contents</i> with RiceInfo</h4>

<i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> is one of the options available in <i>RiceInfo</i>.  <i>RiceInfo </i> is accessible from VM/CMS accounts and many UNIX accounts simply by
typing "riceinfo." (Some of the UNIX systems do not recognize the "riceinfo" command--type "gopher" instead.)
<p>
Faculty, students
and staff without network accounts also can search Current Contents 24-hours a day
from any of the campus microcomputing labs.  Fondren Library will be upgrading public LIBRIS workstations over the Spring recess to allow access to <i>RiceInfo</i> and other resources from LIBRIS terminals.
<p>
Dial-in use of the database is reserved for the Rice University community.  The database
can be accessed from home by dialing via modem into on-campus systems. 
<p>
 Instructional
materials on using the database are being prepared and will be available at the Fondren Library and
the Mudd Computing Center.  See <a href="#guide">pages 4 and 5</a> of this issue for basic instructions on using <i> Current Contents with Abstracts</i>.

<h4>Background</h4>

<i>RiceInfo</i>  and the Current Contents database represent experiments in making information resources
available across the campus. 
<p>
The Current Contents database project was designed in the Fall of 1992 and brought online in January
1993.  The present plan is to retain Current Contents data for six months to a year (depending on
available disk space on the host computer) and then delete older citations in order to keep the database
current and reasonably sized. 

<h4>Fast and Effective</h4>

Rice faculty and students, interviewed about access to <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> over the
campus network, express enthusiasm for the system.  Drs. George Phillips (Biochemistry) and Robert
Curl (Chemistry) both describe the introduction of network access to journal indexes as the first step
toward "the library of the future."
<p>
Neither faculty member can spare time from lab or classroom for frequent visits to Fondren Library
to review the journal literature in his field of research.  <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> through
<i>RiceInfo</i> provides access to this information when and where it is needed.
<p>
Colleagues in Phillips' research group use the system routinely.  Phillips brings pertinent citations to
the attention of his graduate students and, returning to his office, often finds "printouts of relevant
citations left on my desk by my students."
<p>
This ready access to recent publications in a field promotes collaborative research efforts and
promotes awareness of the inter-related research occurring at Rice.
<p>
Curl has sent a memo to all his department members encouraging them to use the system.

<h4>Integrated Information System</h4>

Both Phillips and Curl commented on the utility of <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> in association
with other <i>RiceInfo </i> resources.  The online catalog for Fondren Library is easily accessed through
<i>RiceInfo</i>, for example, allowing researchers to determine local ownership of the articles abstracted in
the Current Contents database.
<p>

<a href="GIF/record.gif"><img src="GIF/record_thumb.gif"></a><p>
<b> Sample record from <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> on
<i>RiceInfo</i></b>


<p>
The <i>RiceInfo</i> implementation group is developing simple mechanisms to allow <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Fondren/Using/Forms/intro.html">document delivery
requests</a> of materials found in<i> Current Contents with Abstracts</i>. 
<p>
Graduate student Michael McMahon (Electrical and Computer Engineering) points out the value of
the combined Current Contents database when working in such interdisciplinary areas as
bioengineering.  The inclusion of abstracts, in particular, benefits his ability to scan the literature of
several disciplines to locate material of value to his research.
<p>
McMahon compares <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> on <i>RiceInfo</i> favorably with the TexSearch
system available through Baylor--with the definite advantage of easy and immediate access.
<p>
Rice researchers are accessing <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> on <i>RiceInfo</i> using a variety of
equipment on campus.  The faculty and students interviewed here are using Unix and Macintosh (with
the TurboGopher software that is available free from the Mudd Consulting Center), and find the
experimental software approach meets their needs for information.
<p>
Dr. Michael Gustin (Biochemistry) has accessed the indexes through his VM/CMS account and
transferred results to UNIX and personal computer applications for later use.  Each of the researchers
recognizes the early-development stage of electronic access to <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> and
expressed ideas for additional ways of searching and using the abstracts.

<h4>Tell Us What You Think</h4>

Fondren Library is currently planning for an expanded portfolio of electronic journal indexes.  This
portfolio of journal indexes will likely include indexes to the literature of the humanities and social
sciences, and will provide support for the needs of undergraduate students as well.
<p>
The interface is being refined on an ongoing basis and we would like your feedback on ways it could
be improved.
<p>
Additional ideas for upgrading the utility of the Current Contents database are under consideration,
and will be implemented in stages.  One suggestion that has been made, for example, is to separate
the data by week or by month in order to facilitate searching the database by specified period.
<p>
The <i>RiceInfo</i> development group will use your feedback to further enhance the utility of <i>Current
Contents with Abstracts</i> and to improve access to additional journal indexes planned for the beginning
of the Fall 1993 semester.
<p>
For technical questions on accessing Current Contents call the Mudd Consulting Center at 527-4983. 
For help with searching or other information about the Current Contents database call Fondren
Reference at 285-5113.
<p>


<hr>


<h3><a name="guide"><i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> on <i>RiceInfo</i></h3></a>


<h4>Database Description</h4>

<i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i>, published by the Institute for Scientific Information, lists the tables of contents from over 2,000 scientific and technical journals.  <i>RiceInfo</i>
offers online access to three editions of <i>Current Contents:  Agriculture, Biology & Environmental
Sciences</i>; <i>Engineering, Technology & Applied Sciences</i>; and <i>Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences</i>.  The database is updated weekly.  The lage time between journal publication and availability on <i>RiceInfo</i> is several weeks to a month.  

<p>

<h4>Accessing <i>Current Contents</i></h4>

To search<i> Current Contents with Abstracts</i>, connect to <i>RiceInfo</i>  and make the following menu selections:<br>
<ul><li>select <b>library services</b>.<br> 
     <li>select <b>Current Contents bibliographic search</b>.<br>
     <li>select <b>Current Contents search</b>. <p>
</ul>After making the final selection, the statement enter keyword(s) will appear at the top of your screen.
<p>
To learn about the database select <b>about Current Contents</b>.   
<p>
<h4>Searching Current Contents</h4>
<h5>Keyword Searching</h5>
<dl>
<dt>To search a one-word topic, type that word in the space provided after the statement <b>enter
keyword(s)</b>.  To search phrases or topics which combine several concepts, the Boolean operators OR,
AND, NOT and ADJ must be used.  
<p>
Boolean operators MUST BE CAPITALIZED when searching
<i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> on <i>RiceInfo</i>.
<p>
<dt>Use OR to broaden a search.<br>   
<dd>EXAMPLE:  disposal OR cleanup<br>
This will retrieve citations that use either term "disposal" or "cleanup".
<p>
<dt>Also, use OR to search for variant spellings or word forms.<br>
<dd>EXAMPLE:  color OR colour<br>
dump OR dumps OR dumping
<p>

<dt>Use AND to combine several concepts or narrow the search.<br>
<dd>EXAMPLE:  remediation AND groundwater<br>
This will retrieve only those citations which use both terms "remediation" and "groundwater".
<p>
<dt>Use ADJ to search for a phrase.  Words in records retrieved must appear together and in the same
order typed.<br>
<dd>EXAMPLE:  hazardous ADJ waste
<p>
<dt>Use NOT to exclude elements from a search.<br>
<dd>EXAMPLE:    disposal NOT cleanup<br>
This will retrieve citations with the word "disposal" but not the word "cleanup".<p>  WARNING: 
articles that use both words, disposal and cleanup, will be lost.  Use "NOT" sparingly.</dl>
<p>
<h5>Complex keyword searches</h5>
<dl><dt>Different Boolean operators can be combined in complex searches.  Parentheses are used to indicate
what part of the search statement should be executed first.<p>
<dd>EXAMPLES:  (disposal OR cleanup) AND sludge<br>
Articles with the term "sludge" will be retrieved when that term appears in the same document with
either "disposal" or "cleanup".
<p><p>
remediation AND (hazardous ADJ waste)<br>  Articles with the word "remediation" and the phrase
"hazardous waste" will be retrieved.</dl>
<p><p>
<h5>Journal title searches</h5>
<dl><dt>To get a list of articles that have appeared in a specific journal, do a search for the ISSN number of
that journal.  All Current Contents references include this number.<p>
<dd>EXAMPLE: 034-3894<br>
     Articles from the <i>Journal of Hazardous Materials</i> will be listed.</dl>
<p><p>
<h5>Searches which limit by author</h5>
<dl><dt>To locate an article on a topic by a specific author, combine the author's last name with a subject
keyword.<p>
<dd>EXAMPLE:  Hoffman AND groundwater
<p><p></dl>
<h4>Locating Articles</h4> 
To find out if Fondren Library has a journal, search LIBRIS, the library's catalog, on <i>RiceInfo</i>. 
Search by journal title using the <b>full title</b>, not the abbreviation used by <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i>.  For
materials not held by Fondren Library, contact the Interlibrary Loan Department at ext. 2284 or order
reprints from the addresses at the end of <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> references.
<p><p>
<h4>Getting Help</h4>
For technical questions call the Mudd Consulting Center at 527-4983. For help with searching or
information on the <i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i> database call Fondren Reference at 285-5113.
<p>



<hr>
<h3><a name="dyk">Did You Know...</h3></a>

<img align=top src="GIF/fondren_bullet.gif">Approximately one-third of the 
books added to Fondren Library are acquired through approval plans
(whereby categories of material are sent to be reviewed before purchase).
<p>
Fondren Library has begun tape-loading records for approval books (North American imprints only). 
The tapes can arrive weeks in advance of the books.  You may now find these titles as much as a
month faster than in the past.
<p>
<p>
<img align=top src="GIF/fondren_bullet.gif">Rice faculty and students may 
ask for rush processing of any book which has a "temporary location
number" in the LIBRIS record.  Books which have arrived but are not yet cataloged should be
available in a day or two; approval books will be rush processed upon arrival.
<p>
<p>

<img align=top src="GIF/fondren_bullet.gif">Rice University faculty and 
students have access via Internet to the <a HREF="gopher://riceinfo.rice.edu:1101/11/NTO">Blackwell North America database</a>
of recent North American imprints.  The database indicates whether a book will be sent to Fondren
Library and may be searched by subject.
<p>
Enquire at Reference (x5119) for passwords.
<p>
<p>
<img align=top src="GIF/fondren_bullet.gif">A vending machine, containing a 
variety of personal and office supplies, is now available near the
Reference Desk.
<p>



<hr>


<h3><a name="articles">Obtaining Articles From Current Contents</h3></a>
Barbara Stewart,
Government Publications/Reference,
stewart@ricevm1.rice.edu
<p>
Your electronic search of <a HREF="gopher://riceinfo.rice.edu:1101/11/CurrentContents"><i>Current Contents with Abstracts</i></A> is complete. You have identified an article
you would like to read.  At this point several options exist for obtaining a paper copy of that article.

<h4>Does Fondren Library Have This?</h4>

A menu item exists within <i>RiceInfo</i> that allows you to search <A HREF="tn3270://library.rice.edu/"> LIBRIS</A> to determine if Fondren Library
owns the particular journal or journals in which you are interested.  To search LIBRIS, go back to the
main menu for <i>RiceInfo</i>.  Choose Library Services again.  At the next screen choose LIBRIS.  At this
point simply do a title search of the catalog using your journal titles.
<p>
You will want to check the library holdings of each journal to be certain the library owns the
particular issue or issues you need.  Holdings of journals are checked by typing "ho".

<h4>Articles Delivered to Your Desk</h4>

Faculty and administrators may use the services of Fondren Express, Fondren Library's document
delivery service, to obtain copies of material located through a Current Contents with Abstracts
search.  Fondren Express retrieves material located in Fondren Library and elsewhere, and delivers it
to your office.  A small fee is charged for this service.
<p>
You may send your request through campus mail, drop it off in Fondren Library, fax it to Fondren
Express (523-4117), use the <A HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Fondren/Using/Forms/intro.html">Fondren Express request form</a> through <i>RiceInfo</i>, or send an electronic
mail message directly to the Fondren Express staff (express@ricevm1.rice.edu).
<p>
The normal turnaround time for delivery of material is two working days from the receipt of the
request.  More information concerning the services of Fondren Express may be obtained by speaking
with the Fondren Express staff at campus extension 2869.

<h4>When Fondren Library Doesn't Own It</h4>

In those instances where Fondren Library does not own the material you located through your <i>Current
Contents with Abstracts</i> search, the staff of the Interlibrary Loan department is available to help both
faculty and graduate students obtain copies of journal articles and books.  Interlibrary Loan retrieves
material not owned by Fondren Library at no charge.  Materials are then available for pick-up in the
Interlibrary Loan department.
<p>
Interlibrary loan requests are made in person in Room B38 of Fondren Library, or electronically
using the <A HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Fondren/Using/Forms/intro.html">interlibrary loan request form</a> available through <i>RiceInfo</i>.  A commercial rapid delivery
service has been added to the Interlibrary Loan resources and is expected to speed delivery of
interlibrary loan requests.
<p>
The type of resources available to Rice scholars as well as the way these resources are accessed will
continue to expand.  Reference librarians at Fondren Library are eager and ready to help you navigate
the sometimes confusing world of information retrieval.
<p>


<hr>


<h3><a name="riceinfo">RiceInfo Brings the World to Your Desktop</h3></a>
Barbara Halbert,
Assistant to the Archivist,
bsh@ricevm1.rice.edu
<p>
Have you needed to find out how late the Circulation Desk was open on a Sunday night but couldn't
remember what telephone number to call?  Now there is a way to find out the library's telephone
number and hours via your computer.  It's as simple as logging into <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu"> <i>RiceInfo</i></a>.
<p>
<i>RiceInfo</i> is the University's campus wide information system (CWIS), set up as a way for computer
users to access information about Rice quickly and easily.  Instead of having to hunt for the campus
directory or a course schedule, users can call up <i>RiceInfo</i> and have immediate access to the
information.

<h4>What's Available?</h4>

Resources on <i>RiceInfo</i> include: <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/RiceDirectory.html"> Rice Campus Directory</A>, <a HREF="gopher://riceinfo.rice.edu/11/CampusLife/GSA-YP-9394">GSA Yellow Pages</A>, <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Courses.html">co
urse schedules</a>,
<a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Policies.html">University and departmental policies</A>, and the library's online catalog <A HREF="tn3270://library.rice.edu/"> (LIBRIS)</a> to name a few.  Since
<i>RiceInfo</i> is rather new, users can expect to see expanded offerings available soon.
<p>
While it's helpful to Rice users to have LIBRIS easily accessible, it's not the only library catalog
available on <i>RiceInfo</i>.  Now you can find out what the  <A HREF="telnet://uhopac.lib.uh.edu:23/">University of Houston</a>, <A HREF="tn3270://notis@TAMMVS1.TAMU.EDU:23/">Texas A&M</a>, <a HREF="gopher://yaleinfo.yale.edu:7000/11/Libraries/by.place/A
mericas/US/Connecticut">Yale</A> and
other libraries have by simply accessing <i>RiceInfo</i> and checking out the Library Services menu.
<p>
Other off-campus information is available on <i>RiceInfo</i>.  You can access Current Contents (discussed
in this issue), <a HREF="gopher://riceinfo.rice.edu/11/Subject/LitBooks">electronic books and journals</a>, and <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Weather.html">weather information</a> through <i>RiceInfo</i>. 

<h4>How Do I Use It?</h4>

To use <i>RiceInfo</i>, the user must connect to the campus network.  Microcomputer users may need to
obtain free gopher client software from the Rice Consulting Center.  RiceInfo is also available on the
microcomputing lab menus, and, very soon, through any LIBRIS terminal in Fondren Library.
<p>
Once you have logged onto your Owlnet or VM account and typed <i>RiceInfo</i> (or gopher) at the
prompt, you select an item on the first menu, hit the enter key, and you're on your way.
<p>


<hr>

<h3><a name="wired">Wired Historians</h3><h4>RiceInfo and Other Network Services Invaluable to Two Rice Faculty Members</h4></a>
Jane Segal,
Bibliographic Instruction Librarian,
segal@ricevm1.rice.edu
<p>
"I've been surfing through
the libraries at the U.T. Library, the A&M Library, and the Harvard Library"
says Dr. Albert Van Helden.  He's been surfing <a HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu"> <i>RiceInfo</i></a> , Rice
University's CWIS system (see article above).  Dr. Van Helden and his colleague,
Dr. Paula Sanders, recently recently shared their thoughts on information technology developments at Rice.
<p>


<img src="GIF/historians.gif"><p>
<b> Sanders and Van Helden discuss the impact of technology on humanities
research.</b>


<h4>Searching Remote Libraries</h4>

Van Helden and Sanders first learned about <i>RiceInfo</i>  from a <i>Rice Thresher</i> article earlier this year.  
Sanders was immediately hooked:  LIBRIS and other library catalogs could
be searched on the system.
<p>
Van Helden was not sure that this new service would be useful to him
until a library staff member gave him a quick demonstration.   He then started using it to search a
variety of research libraries.  He is currently reviewing the page proofs for a book and finds the
ability to search these libraries extremely useful, especially for checking the accuracy of citations for
items that are not in LIBRIS.
<p>
Sanders searches the remote library catalogs on <i>RiceInfo</i>  by subject and keyword in order to learn
about new publications in her field.  When she finds materials of interest she can request them
through the Fondren Library Interlibrary Loan Department.

<h4>Networking on the Network</h4>

Both historians make use of network technology to stay in touch with their colleagues around the
world.  Van Helden uses electronic mail whenever he's working on a project with somebody else.  "I
routinely exchange messages with people in Australia and Europe," he said.
<p>
Sanders uses electronic mail in planning conferences and co-authoring publications.  She is planning a
scholars' seminar to be held at Princeton University and finds that it is absolutely essential that all the
program participants communicate electronically.  She said, "I love technology because, in a field like
mine, medieval Islamic history, if you're outside of the Northeast you can feel very isolated.  I don't
have anybody here working on what I'm doing, and if I have a question about a piece of text, I send
a message off and I have an answer the same day." 
<p>
When compiling an
analytical index to a collection of manuscripts, many of which are located at Cambridge University,
Sanders was able to receive information from a curator there within several hours of making a request.
<p>
Computer networks are aiding scholarships in a growing number of ways.  According to Van Helden,
the <i>Guide to the History of Science</i> published by the University of Chicago Press now includes the
e-mail addresses of scholars and monthly updates can be obtained electronically.  Electronic preprint
exchanges are becoming increasingly important, especially in the sciences, and the traditional modes
of preprint publication and dissemination are now considered too slow.

<h4>Coming Attractions</h4>

 Professors Sanders and Van Helden are looking forward to several services which Fondren Library
plans to add to <i>RiceInfo</i>, including <A HREF="http://riceinfo.rice.edu/Fondren/Using/Forms/intro.html">interlibrary loan forms</a> which will make it possible to request
materials by inputing citation information online.  They also eagerly anticipate the day when all
offices at Rice will be networked, increasing the ease of sharing information with colleagues in other
departments.
<p>


<hr>


<a name="locations"><h3>FONDREN LIBRARY LOCATIONS AND FREQUENTLY CALLED NUMBERS</h3></a>
<pre>
Reference                            285-5113
(1st floor Fondren Library)

Brown Fine Arts Library              527-4832
(3rd floor Fondren Library)

Business Info. Center                527-6062
(1st floor Herring Hall)

Circulation                          527-4021
(1st floor Fondren Library)

Computer Ref. Area                   527-4076
(1st floor Mudd Laboratory)

Fondren Express                      527-8101
(Basement Fondren Library)           ext.2869

Government Pubs.                     285-5483
(Basement Fondren Library)

Interlibrary Loan                    527-8101
(Basement Fondren Library)           ext.2284

Woodson Research Center              527-8101
(1st floor Fondren Library)          ext.2586
</pre>
Semester and Holiday Library Hours

For information about regular and holiday hours, call 527-4800

<hr><hr>

<h2>News From Fondren</h2>

<h3>Vol.3 no.1,                          Spring 1993
Fondren Library, Rice University, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, TX, 77251-1892, 713-527-4022</h3>
<p>
Published three times a year, in the Spring, Fall and Winter.
<p>
Editor: Kerry Keck (keckker@rice.edu).
Newsletter committee: Barbara Halbert, Kay McStay, Jane Segal.
Photographer: Kerry Keck
<p>
<i>News From Fondren</i> is a copyrighted publication of the Fondren Library, Rice University.  All or part of
<i>News From Fondren</i> may be redistributed, with appropriate credit.
<p>                 
Statements of fact and opinion appearing in <i>News From Fondren</i> are the responsibility of the authors and do
not imply the endorsement of Rice University.

<hr><hr>