ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries June 1984 / 301 the little things th a t people get annoyed at, like im ­ p ro p e r sch ed u lin g or in a d e q u a te aud io v isu al equipm ent. I think th at in all these respects we came out very w ell.” •A G R L ’s Fourth National Conference will be held in Baltimore in April, 1986. We hope you will join us then when ACRL returns to the E ast.— GME. ■ ■ Using the online catalog effectively By Marcella Stark History and Afro-American Studies Librarian Syracuse University A seminar, specifically designed fo r faculty members, on how to use the Syracuse University system. T he online public access catalog is becoming a re- ality in many institutions. Thus, instruction de­ signed to show the capabilities of the online system is necessary, not only to overcome initial resistance to a new system, but also to ensure th a t the maxi­ mum capabilities of the system are apparent to us­ ers. Librarians need to instruct faculty as well as stu­ dents. Because they may find th a t faculty resist li­ brary instruction for themselves, librarians should seek reinforcements on the campus to aid in any in­ struction program . The following is a description of the Syracuse University Libraries cooperation w ith a respected campus institution to develop an instruction program for university faculty. Syracuse University Libraries have had an on­ line public access catalog, SULIRS (Syracuse Uni­ versity Libraries Inform ation Retrieval System) since January 1981. Before the catalog was pu t in place, a slide-tape lecture, designed and presented by the director of libraries, prepared faculty for the change. There was publicity in the campus media. Users were provided w ith booklets th a t described basic searches. At the outset the system provided author and ti­ tle access only via OCLC derived search keys to a d atab ase of approxim ately 500,000. A fter five months, the search key approach was abandoned and SULIRS provided keyword searching via au­ thor, title, series title, call num ber, and subject. Free-text key word searching was possible across the title and subject fields. Initially, there were few HELP messages or system prompts im bedded in the SULIRS program; extensive HELP messages w ere added late in 1983. From the beginning, however, the Boolean AND was implied; the Bool­ ean NOT being added la te r.1 SULIRS was available only in the libraries until the summer of 1983, when it was m ade available from any term inal on campus. Individuals w ith a term inal and modem could access SULIRS via the telephone and the university com puting center. Since most of the terminals in the library were located near the reference desk, reference librari- 1Gregory N. Bullard, “The Syracuse University Libraries Inform ation Retrieval System,” Research Librariesin O C L C : A Quarterly, no. 7 (1982):l-2. 302 / C& RL News ans initially provided tra in in g w hen requested. Since the spring of 1983, librarians have been sta­ tioned directly by the term inals during peak hours to provide individual assistance. L ibrarians ob­ served, however, th a t w hile both faculty and stu­ dents easily m astered the basics of searching, they used card catalog strategies instead of taking a d ­ vantage of the dynamics of online searching. For The seminar focused on search techniques unique to an online catalog. example, someone searching for Patriotic Gore by E d m u n d W ilso n m ig h t p ro c e e d by e n te r in g “W ilson, E d m u n d ,” and SULIRS w ould respond w ith 71 items. The user w ould read through the list until Patriotic Gore ap p eared . In oth er w ords, searchers w ere not using the keyword capabilities of the system, com bining the au th o r’s nam e w ith a significant w ord in the title, say Patriotic, w hich w ould im m ediately retrieve 3 items, saving tim e and relieving the tedium of searching. Some faculty SULIRS train in g was attem pted d u rin g th e p rev io u s tw o years a t th e a n n u a l cam pus-w ide Seminar on Teaching. Sponsored by the University Senate C om m ittee on Instruction, the Seminar brings experienced faulty w ith re p u ta ­ tions as teachers together w ith newer faculty to share inform ation about the resources at the u n i­ versity th a t support teaching. A librarian is a m em ­ ber of the Senate C om m ittee and coordinated the library-related presentations at the Seminar. W hile the presentation never seemed quite to fit into the Sem inar, it received very positive evalua­ tions from those who attended. The librarians in­ volved developed a presentation directed at a fac­ ulty audience. As the Sem inar becam e m ore widely attended, the com m ittee often talked about devel­ oping smaller workshops based on a single topic of interest to faculty. The library presentation seemed ripe for such a separate program . The director of libraries, who attended the Seminar presentations, also suggested th a t the presentation be re-worked into a separate program to be sponsored by the L i­ braries and the Senate C om m ittee. Almost concurrently, the librarians at Syracuse realized th a t they themselves w ere not aw are of the full capabilities of SULIRS. Two members of the C ataloging D epartm ent, w hich is responsible for 2E laine C oppola, “W ho Trains the Trainer? L i­ brary Staff Are OPAC Users, T oo,” Library Hi Tech 1 (W inter 1983): 36-38. the developm ent and m aintenance of the database, w ere asked to produce a workshop on SULIRS for librarians. These w ere held in D ecem ber 1982 and January 1983.2 L ate in the spring semester of 1983, the director of libraries appointed an ad hoc group to develop a presentation on SULIRS directed at the teaching faculty. It consisted of the librarians who devel­ oped the Seminar presentation and the catalog li­ brarians responsible for the in-house workshops. Official sponsorship of the Senate C om m ittee was sought and received. The presentation to be devel­ oped was called a “sem inar,” using the nam e of other program s sponsored by th a t group.3 Originally the planning group thought in term s of a tw o -h o u r p resentation. O n faculty advice, however, they decided th a t m ore people w ould a t­ tend a program lim ited to one hour. From previous experience, they assumed th a t most participants knew the basic mechanics of searching SULIRS. T h e p ro g ra m w o u ld c o n c e n tra te on search in g techniques unique to an online catalog. Because the university com puting center had a classroom equipped w ith a projection system th a t displayed inform ation from a com puter term inal, the planning group decided to hold the Seminar there. The room had telephone jacks w here addi­ tional term inals could be connected to provide hands-on experience and individual instruction. Not only could the room hold forty people com fort­ ably, the librarians believed th a t holding the Semi­ n ar aw ay from the library w ould dem onstrate th a t the online catalog was available from every term i­ nal on campus. The Seminar was offered three times in October 1983, late in the afternoon on a Tuesday, W ednes­ day and T hursday in succeeding weeks. T he group planned a lecture/dem onstration lasting approxi­ m ately thirty-five minutes w ith the rem ainder of the hour devoted to questions and individual in­ struction. T he lecture drew searching examples from all disciplines. One person spoke, a second typed the search. Previous experience w ith one p er­ son p erfo rm in g both functions in d icated th a t a smoother perform ance w ould result if tw o people coordinated efforts. Rehearsals were held to make sure the presentation w ould be com pleted in the tim e allotted. A letter, co-signed by all the sponsoring groups, was sent three weeks in advance of the Seminar. It described the goals and content of the presentation and requested participants to m ake a reservation. Besides sending notices and preparing the lec­ tu re dem onstration, the planning group thought o th e r p re p a ra tio n s necessary. T h ree h a n d o u ts w ere prepared. Copies of the booklets describing 3G roup members are D onald C. Anthony (direc­ tor of libraries), M arcella Stark (history and Afro- American studies librarian), Elaine Coppola, C a r­ oline Long, B arbara O par, Charles T rem per, and M ary Anne W altz. It’s High Tim e You Tried BRS Look What’s Waiting For You! • 82 databases—37 available exclusively from BRS—give you access to timely, unique information. • Convenient grouping of databases by major subject categories provides you with a breadth of online information. • Simple interactive language makes BRS easy to learn and use, whether you're an online searching pro or a first-time user. • Available when and where you need it, home or work, 22 hours every working day, plus weekend and holiday hours. • Wide choice of access plans lets you tailor your usage to your budget. Return the coupon for timely information on this powerful, online search service. An ITG Company It’s Time I Learned More! NAM E □ Piease send details on BRS services, rates and access plans. COMPANY/INSTITUTION I’m Ready To Sign Up Now! ADDRESS □ Please send me the necessary forms. CITY STATÌ Z IP ~ Mail to: BRS, 1200 Route 7, Latham, NY 12110 TELEPHONE ( ) CRLN6/84 Now another choice for your union list. Faxon has specialized in serials m anagem ent for libraries for over 100 years. Now w e’re offering a U nion List m odule o n Linx, the online serials m anagem ent system. U nion list groups can add, share, and m ain­ tain up-to-date inform ation o n their collec­ tive serial titles and holdings. Because w e’re flexible, w e can handle your current m achine-readable lists or save time during your manual conversion, thus saving you valuable m anpow er resources. O ur U nion List products are available n o w and include b o th group lists an d individual m em b er lists in hard copy, tape, o r microfiche. Make a choice soon! You d o n ’t have to use Faxon’s subscription service to take advantage o f o u r U nion List. Call ou r Sales D epartm ent at (800) 225-6055 o r (617) 329-3350 (collect) an d arrange for a dem onstra- tio n o f Faxon’s U nion List. The Faxon Company, 15 Southwest Park, Westwood, MA 02090 June 1984 / 305 basic searches were collected, and a description of the means of accessing SULIRS from outside the li­ braries was w ritten. W ith the aid of a university specialist on evaluation, the planning group com ­ piled a short evaluation form asking the p artici­ pants to rate quality of presentation, to suggest im ­ provements, and library topics for future seminars. Of th e seventy-six people who m ade reserva­ tions, sixty attended. Initial questioning revealed th a t the vocal members of the first group were rela­ tively inexperienced SULIRS users. As the lecture was p unctuated by questions, insufficient tim e re­ m ained for further dem onstrations and hands-on e x p e rie n c e . T h e seco n d g ro u p m a tc h e d e x p e c ta tio n s — th e y w e re SU L IR S users a n d w anted to learn more. The lecture evolved into a discussion w ith th e p a rtic ip a n ts c o n trib u tin g searching examples, raising questions and posing problem s th a t followed from the lecture. Attendees rem ained after the hour to continue searching. The last presentation had the smallest attendance; the lecture was accomplished in the tim e allotted, and the questions were few. The form and content of all three presentations received positive evaluations. Recause the second session becam e a seminar w ith the participants actively com m itted to the learning process, the evaluations w ere superlative. Naivete and sophistication w ere apparent in all sessions. A p a rtic ip a n t w a n te d to know how to search foreign language m aterials. The answer was th a t the SULIRS used the same principle as the card catalog: titles are in the language of the item, subject headings are in English. A scientist pointed out th a t keyword searching m ade it considerably easier to locate conference papers: entering “5th nuclear physics,” one did not have to rem em ber if the m eeting was a congress or colloquium. Because searching by call num ber m ade the shelf list avail­ able, participants expressed great interest in learn ­ ing how to m anipulate call numbers. Attendees were interested to learn th a t they could search sub­ jects using their “term inology” as well as the index­ ing vocabulary of SULIRS (Library of Congress Subject Headings). It was carefully pointed out th a t the la tter should be used for m ore precision in searching, the example being the difference be­ tw een “intensive care” nursing (Library of C on­ gress) and “critical care” nursing (user’s te rm ). The comments and queries indicated th a t p artic­ ipants came from across the campus. In order to provide quick and know ledgeable responses, li­ b rarian s w ith in-depth searching experience in both the sciences and hum anities were present. It m ay be w orth noting th a t w hile Seminar attendees were interested in online searching, none asked about the technical aspects of the com puter system. The Seminar was an experiment. It grew out of th e L ib ra rie s ’ in v o lv e m e n t w ith th e fa c u lty developed Seminar on Teaching and the Universit; Senate. Co-sponsorship of the Libraries’ efforts by this respected group created additional good will for the Libraries’ instruction efforts. C oncurrently, the librarians had undergone in-depth training and had had active experience in observing and assist­ ing users w ith the online catalog. As a result of these factors, the Seminar participants were recep­ tive and enthusiastic. ■ ■ L ib rarian s eligible for F u lb right scholarships T h e C ouncil for In te rn a tio n a l E xchange of Scholars, through the United States Inform ation Agency, has received from agencies and embassies abroad the list of Fulbright Scholar Awards avail­ able to American scholars. L ibrarians and infor­ m ation scientists are eligible to apply for relevant programs. Some of the 1985-1986 program s th a t relate to lib ra ria n sh ip are: In d o n esia, social science re ­ search techniques (ability to lecture in Indonesian required); Korea, research in Korean studies (must be c u rre n tly w o rk in g in K orean research p ro ­ gram); People’s Republic of C hina, library and in­ form ation science lecturing at Beijing University or W uhan University; T aiw an, business inform ation systems analysis or design; T hailand, social science research (previous T hai research experience prefer­ red); Tunisia, teaching economics of inform ation and inform ation systems, Institut de Presse et des Sciences d ’Inform ation, Tunis (ability to lecture in French required); and the U.S.S.R., library and inform ation science lecturing at various Soviet in­ stitutions. The deadline for these aw ard program s is Sep­ tem ber 15, 1984. Inform ation and applications can be obtained at graduate institutions from the office of the G rad u ­ ate D ean, of In te rn a tio n a l Program s, or of Re­ search and Sponsored Programs. On u n dergradu­ ate campuses they are available from the office of the chief academic officer. All applications are reviewed by recognized spe­ cialists both in the applicant’s professional and aca­ dem ic discipline and in th e chosen geographic area. The presidentially appointed Board of F or­ eign Scholarships makes final selections, w ith the agreem ent of agencies in the host country. For further inform ation, contact the Council for In te rn a tio n a l Exchange of Scholars, 11 D u p o n t C irc le , W a s h in g to n , D C 20036; (202) 833- 4841. ■ ■ 306 / C&RL News Overseas library assignments on the RISE Librarians are also eligible to seek positions abroad through the Register for International Ser­ vice in Education (RISE). RISE, administered by the Institute of International E ducation, is a computer-based referral service designed to enable universities, technical institutes, research centers, government ministries, and development projects outside the United States to locate qualified educa­ tors, specialists, researchers, and consultants for education-related assignments. These assignments may range in duration from a few weeks to several years. In the past two years in which the database has been operational, about 25 openings in library sci­ ence have been listed. There are currently over 500 applicants on the register, and nearly 1,700 posi­ tions in various disciplines available. Anyone qualified to teach, consult, or conduct research at the university or other postsecondary level may place their name on the register. A fee of $45 covers registration for a one-year period, be­ ginning approximately 10 days from the date that HE receives the completed application and fee. The data supplied on the registration form will be keyed into a database. Printouts will be sent to reg­ istered institutions and agencies to fill require­ ments which correspond to individual registrants’ basic qualifications and interests. Most assignments are in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Some positions offer salary and benefits equivalent or greater than U.S. levels. Transportation, housing, home leave, and support for dependents may be included. In general, how­ ever, developing countries’ compensation scales are lower than those in the United States. Living and working conditions are likely to be quite differ­ ent and may require flexibility and adaptation. A new area which RISE has initiated is the list­ ing of positions available in American and interna­ tional schools abroad. While no specific library po­ sitions have been requested from such schools, openings may well exist in the future. The schools are all accredited, and the salaries are competitive and usually paid in U.S. dollars. For application forms or further information, contact: Sandra Cervera, RISE, Institute of Inter­ national Education, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017; (212) 883-8241. ■ ■ Continuation/Standing Order Service A new benchmark in ... Serials Data Management and Control Systems Tomorrow’s Answer Today. • Customer Reports • Automatic Claiming • History Reports • Collective Claiming • Management Reports • Check-In Claiming alie FFoo n rr aaddddiittiioonnaall ddeettaaiillss wwrrititee oorr ccaall: ll: B ooksellers International, Inc. 66 Austin Boulevard, Commack, New York 11725 New York S t a t e T oll-free WATS ( 8 0 0 ) 8 3 2 - 4 5 5 2 T oll-free WATS ( 8 0 0 ) 6 4 5 - 5 2 3 7