March/April  2002  vol.8  no.2 issn 1082-4383  

Highlights in this Issue

NEBASE Annual Meeting 2002 - West

The NEBASE Annual Meeting - West is scheduled for April 4 at the Alliance Public Library. Join us for a full-day of sessions that include updates on OCLC, Gates Grant Applications, and two hands on workshops.

NEBASE Workshop Calendar

Workshops have been scheduled for Lincoln, Norfolk and Alliance.

Gates Grants Are Almost Here!

The cranes are coming and spring is just around the corner. What else should we be looking for on the horizon? Now is the time to start asking questions and looking for information in the mail from the Gates Foundation in Seattle.

 

Table of Contents

NEBASE ANNUAL MEETING 2002 - WEST

The NEBASE Annual Meeting 2002 - West is scheduled for April 4 at the Alliance Public Library. Join us for a full day of sessions that include updates on OCLC, Gates Grant Applications, and two hands on workshops.

Register online at: </netserv/nam.html> or by calling Jeannette Powell at 800-307-2665.

Afterwards…
For those needing additional help with the Gates Grant Application, please stay after the workshops. Pam Scott will be available to answer additional questions concerning the program and processes.

Shannon Behrhorst
NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission

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ILL OPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE NEBRASKA LIBRARY COMMISSION

BACK-UP ILL

What is it?

• When libraries are unable to provide local ILL services, the Library Commission will facilitate the Interlibrary Loan transactions using the OCLC Interlibrary Loan subsystem.

Who should use it?

• Nebraska libraries who formerly used resource centers.
• Libraries who have very low use of ILL.
• Libraries who lack the staff, equipment or time to provide ILL services themselves.

• Phone - 800-307-2665 (ask for the reference desk)
• E-mail - Information Services Team
• Fax- 402-471-6244
• Online form - </ref/ill/>

• Free, if the cost of borrowing an item is under $15.00.  If the cost exceeds $15.00, the library will have the option to pay the entire fee or to refuse the loan.

OCLC ILL SUBSYSTEM

What is it?

• The OCLC Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service helps OCLC libraries create, send and track ILL requests with access to WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog).

• Libraries who would like to provide local ILL service to their patrons and have the staff, equipment, time and budget to use OCLC.
• Libraries who have noticed an increase in their ILL usage.

Libraries may use these interfaces, alone or in combination, to access the OCLC ILL Subsystem.

• ILL Web Interface - A graphical interface that allows libraries to do all of their current OCLC ILL processing in an online, web-based environment.
  • Great for infrequent users of OCLC ILL.
  • Great for large libraries to manage their Custom Holdings and ILL Direct. Request profiles.
  • Reduces training time for new and temporary staff (students, staff who substitute for regular ILL staff).

• ILL Micro Enhancer - Improves productivity by automating many repetitious and time-consuming borrowing and lending tasks.  Update and download your entire day's activity in a matter of minutes.
  • For OCLC ILL users who want to handle borrowing and lending through batch downloading and updating.
  • Reduce costs by updating requests offline without being connected to OCLC.
  • Set ILL ME to finish tasks after work hours so you can use workstations more efficiently during the day.
• Passport - Command driven software to process interlibrary loan requests.
  • Good option for high volume ILL users.

Cost?

• NEBASE Membership fee, plus OCLC charges per request and connect time. 
• See the NEBASE OCLC Price List for details: </netserv/nebase/pricelist01/index.html>

Christa Burns
OCLC Member Services Coordinator
Nebraska Library Commission

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NEBASE WORKSHOP CALENDAR

The following workshops have been scheduled for Lincoln, Norfolk and Alliance. A description of each of the workshops can be found at </netserv/nebase/oclcworkshopsdesc.html>.  To register for any of the workshops,  please complete the online registration form at </netserv/nebase/oclcworkshops.html#reg>. The workshop fee for NEBASE libraries is $10.  If you are not a NEBASE library*, please check the registration form for your workshop fee. If you have any questions, please contact Jeannette Powell at 402-471-7740 or 800-307-2665 or e-mail Jeannette Powell for registration fee.

Note: Special events, such as the NEBASE Annual Meeting, will have separate registration forms and registration fees.

*NEBASE libraries are Nebraska libraries who use OCLC cataloging or interlibrary loan services or who subscribe to FirstSearch. Although libraries who subscribe only to FirstSearch are eligible to pay the $10 workshop fee, they must pay by check.

MARCH 14
OCLC CORC: CATALOGING INTERNET RESOURCES
Location: Nebraska Library Commission - Heron Room, 1200 N Street, Lincoln, NE
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 NOON CST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours

OCLC CORC: CREATING INTERNET PATHFINDERS
Location: Nebraska Library Commission - Heron Room, 1200 N Street, Lincoln, NE
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM CST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours

NOTE: While we have separated the Cataloging and Pathfinder modules of CORC into two sessions, we do recommend that staff attend both sessions, if possible, to get a complete view of the CORC system.

UNDERSTANDING MARC BIBLIOGRAPHIC FORMATS
Location: Norfolk Public Library, 308 Prospect Ave., Norfolk, NE
Time: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm CST
Workshop is Full

BASIC MARC DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGING FOR BOOKS
Location: Norfolk Public Library, 308 Prospect Ave., Norfolk, NE
Time: 1:15 pm - 4:15 pm CST
Workshop is Full

MARCH 19
OCLC UNION LIST BASICS
Location: Nebraska Library Commission - Heron Room, 1200 N Street, Lincoln, NE
Time: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm CST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours

MARCH 28
OCLC Advanced Interlibrary Loan
Location: Alliance Public Library, Meeting Room, 1750 Sweetwater Ave., Alliance, NE
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 Noon MST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours

BASIC Marc DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGING FOR BOOKS
Location: Alliance Public Library, Meeting Room, 1750 Sweetwater Ave., Alliance, NE
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 Noon MST
Instructor: Devra Dragos, Nebraska Library Commission Cataloger
CE Credits: 3 hours

MARCH 29
OCLC UNION LIST BASICS
Location: Alliance Public Library, 1750 Sweetwater, Alliance, NE
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 Noon MST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours

APRIL 4
NEBASE ANNUAL MEETING 2002 - WEST
Location: Alliance Public Library, 1750 Sweetwater, Alliance, NE
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm MST
CE Credits: 6 hours
To Register: </netserv/nam.html>
Fees: $20.00 - includes lunch (this fee is non-refundable)

APRIL 5
OCLC CatExpress
Location: Alliance Public Library, 1750 Sweetwater, Alliance, NE
Time: 9:00 am -12:00 Noon MST
Instructor: Christa Burns, OCLC Member Services Coordinator
CE Credits: 3 hours
 

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Databases

DATABASE TIPS & TRICKS

SORTING BY NUMBER OF LIBRARIES IN WORLDCAT

Did you know that you can sort WorldCat results by the number of libraries that own an item? Sorting by number of libraries comes in particularly handy when you're using WorldCat to identify items for interlibrary loan and you want to make sure there are plenty of potential lenders for the selected items. For example, a search for Mary Higgins Clark's We'll Meet Again, limited to English, retrieves 19 records for different editions and formats of the work (e.g., hardback, paperback, large print, Braille, abridged and unabridged audio, etc.). Many of these records have only a handful of holding libraries attached and therefore would not be good candidates for interlibrary loan. The quickest way to zero in on the records with the most holding libraries attached is to sort your results by number of libraries.

The "Sort by Number of Libraries" option also works well when you are performing WorldCat subject searches. For example, if a patron wants to interlibrary loan a good, general book on parakeets but doesn't have a specific title in mind, you can do a subject search on parakeets for him. This search retrieves 72 records, however, and it can be difficult to know which title(s) to request. Operating under the assumption that good, general books on a topic will be owned by a large number of libraries, one strategy for identifying promising titles is to sort your results by number of libraries.

Sort options are available in WorldCat any time a search retrieves between 2 and 200 records. To sort records in a result list you can click on either the Sort icon ( ) on the gray control panel at the top of the screen or select the Options link on the blue navigation menu on the left side of the screen. Both actions will bring you to the Set Options menu. From there, click on the Number of Libraries link at the top of the screen. This sets your sort option to descending order by number of libraries and returns you to your result list where the items owned by the most libraries will now be listed first.

LIMITING BY NUMBER OF LIBRARIES IN WORLDCAT

In addition to sorting results by number of libraries after performing a search, it is now also possible to limit your search to items owned by a pre-specified number of libraries prior to performing a search. The "Limit to Number of Libraries" option appears on the Advanced search screen immediately beneath the Year and Language limiters. The "Number of Libraries" drop-down menu allows users to specify any of the following number of holding libraries: All, 0, 1+, 2+, 5+, 10+, 20+, 40+, 70+, 100+, 150+, 200+, 350+, 500+, 1000+, 2000+. To give you some idea of the impact this limiter can have on a search, an unlimited subject search for Benjamin Franklin retrieves 4,849 records. Limited to items owned by just 40 or more libraries, however, this same search retrieves only 672 records. That means 4,177 items are owned by fewer than 40 libraries! Unless your patron is doing in-depth research requiring access to esoteric, hard-to-find material, she will probably be just as happy with the most widely owned items.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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2002 WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH ELECTRIC LIBRARY

Can't afford to buy a brand new print encyclopedia? Consider referring patrons to the 2002 World Book Encyclopedia, now available through Electric Library.

Bigchalk.com recently announced the addition of the 2002 World Book Encyclopedia to its Electric Library database. The 2002 World Book Encyclopedia contains new and updated articles on a variety of topics including Osama bin Laden, terrorism, and George W. Bush. The Nebraska Library Commission currently pays for subscriptions to Electric Library on behalf of all public and post-secondary academic libraries in Nebraska. Many Nebraska K-12 schools also subscribe to Electric Library.

To search for an encyclopedia entry on a particular topic, type a keyword describing the topic into the text entry box at the top of the Electric Library search screen, then type World Book Encyclopedia into the Publication text entry box. This should bring up 2002 World Book Encyclopedia articles related to your topic.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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FIRSTSEARCH ILL VIA E-MAIL OPTION

Late last year OCLC introduced a new feature in FirstSearch called Interlibrary Loan Via E-mail. This feature will appeal to libraries not performing their own interlibrary loans through OCLC. After turning on this feature, librarians and patrons using FirstSearch can click on the ILL button to submit a request that will go directly to an email account of the library. ILL staff can then take the information submitted and request the item following their normal ILL procedures.

Here is an example of how this feature could be useful… A patron looking for information on orchids is unable to find current information at the library. The patron then searches in WorldCat and finds a number of sources he would like to use. The patron can now simply submit a request to interlibrary loan the material found in WorldCat by clicking on the ILL button found on the screen. The ILL request will then be sent to the local librarian's e-mail account. The librarian can then process the request as she normally would. For example, she may forward the request to the Nebraska Library Commission. More information about the Nebraska Library Commission ILL services can be found at: </ref/till.html>.

To set up this option, you will need to access the FirstSearch Administrative Module located at <http://firstsearch.oclc.org/admin> using your user name and password. If you do not know this information or would like help setting up the ILL via e-mail option, please email the Network Services Team or phone: 800-307-2665.

After you get into the Admin Module, there are a number of different things you will need to change.

1. Click on the System Settings tab at the top of the screen.

2. Scroll down the screen until you find ILL Access. Click on the button to turn ILL access on.

3. Click on Save Changes.

4. Click on ILL via E-Mail. (This link is located on the blue bar that is attached to the System Settings tab.)

5. Enter the e-mail address of the person who should receive the request.

6. Enter an additional e-mail address if needed.

7. Fill in any additional information you would like to include such as your ship to address, telephone, fax and e-mail. If you plan to send your ILL requests to the Nebraska Library Commission, filling in all of this information will save you from needing to enter it manually every time.

8. After you have entered the information, click on Save Changes.

9. Next customize the ILL Request form that the patrons will see. To do this click on ILL Request Form. (This link is located on the blue bar that is attached to the System Settings tab.)

10.  Each library must decide what information to include on their ILL request form. You will see the field names listed along the left hand side. Next is the Field Label column. This shows how the fields will be labeled on the ILL request form. You can change the wording of these labels by clicking in the box and typing something new. The next column is Library-Supplied Data. For example, if most of your patrons are from the same city you could enter the city name in the box. This way the information will already be filled in on the ILL form for the patrons. The Required by Library column allows you to decide what fields a patron must fill in before they can submit the form. Items that are checked will be required to be completed before the form can be submitted. Items that are checked in the Displayed to Patron column will be display on the form. The last column is Modifiable by patron. Items that are checked can be changed by the patron on the ILL request form. You will need to take a look at each of the different fields and combinations of settings and decide what would work best in your library.

11. Click on Save Changes after you have configured the form.

12. The last thing you will need to do is turn the ILL via E-Mail Option on. To do this, click on the Database Settings tab.

13. Click on ILL Processing. (This link is located on the blue bar that is attached to the Database Settings tab.)

14. On this screen will be a list of databases where the ILL via E-Mail option is available. For those databases where you want this option available, select the ILL via E-mail button. If you do not want to make the ILL option available click the ILL Access off button.

15. Click on Save Changes.

16. The set up is now complete. Exit the Admin Module by clicking on the Exit button located towards the top right hand corner of the screen.
    

Now that you have the ILL via E-Mail Option set up, access FirstSearch and try submitting a request to make sure everything is working correctly. If you have problems, please don't hesitate to email the Network Services Team or phone 800-307-2665.

Allana Novotny
Network Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
 

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SIRS PRICING SET FOR 2002/2003

The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to announce that SIRS pricing for the subscription term running from July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003 will remain the same as it was last year. In order to receive this pricing, however, libraries must place their orders by June 2.  Libraries ordering SIRS after the June 2 deadline will be subject to a 10% price increase.

As in the past, discounts are being offered on SIRS Researcher and SIRS Discoverer Deluxe. Pricing for these two products is based on school enrollment or population served by a public library. Institutions that subscribe to SIRS Researcher are also eligible for discounted pricing on SIRS Government Reporter, SIRS Renaissance, SIRS NetSelct and SIRS interactive Citizenship. Complete pricing information and an online order form are available at </netserv/pricing.html#sirs>.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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ULRICH'S PERIODICALS DIRECTORY (ULRICHSWEB.COM) TRIAL

The Nebraska Library Commission has arranged for a trial of ulrichsweb.com, the online version of Ulrich's Periodicals Directory. According to R.R. Bowker, "Ulrich's Periodicals Directory™ is a bibliographic database providing detailed, comprehensive, and authoritative information on serials published throughout the world." More information about Ulrich's Periodicals Directory and ulrichsweb.com is available at <http://www.ulrichsweb.com/ulrichsweb/ulrichsweb_news/ulrichsinsidefaq.asp>.

The username, password, and login instructions needed to access the ulrichsweb.com trial were distributed in a March 4, 2002 message to the Trial mailing list. If you did not receive this information or would like to have it sent to you again, please email Susan Knisely or phone 800-307-2665. This trial is scheduled to run through March 29, 2002. Additional information about the trial can be found at </netserv/trial.html#ulrichs>.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS ON H.W. WILSON READERS' GUIDE RETROSPECTIVE AND BIOGRAPHIES DATABASES

H.W. Wilson has agreed to offer Nebraska libraries a 20% pre-publication discount on all Readers' Guide Retrospective orders placed by March 25, 2002. Readers' Guide Retrospective, available exclusively on WilsonWeb, provides searchable access to more than 100 years of citations from 512 leading U.S. magazines.

Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890 - 1982 is in two parts:

1. Available Now: Coverage - 1969 through 1982 - (675,000 entries)
2. Available Fall 2002: Complete database - 1890 through 1982 - (More than 2,500,000 entries)

This offer is for site license access to Readers' Guide Retrospective. Interested libraries will pay a one-time subscription fee, plus a nominal yearly WilsonWeb users' fee. The standard library network discount of 10% will be applied after the 20% pre-publication discount. The annual access fee after the first year will be 5% of the discounted price.

H.W. Wilson is also offering a 20% discount for new and upgrade orders for the following biography products:

• Biography Reference Bank
• Current Biography*
• Current Biography Illustrated*
• Junior Authors & Illustrators*
• World Authors: 800 B.C. - Present*

*Content from these databases also appears in Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated which the Library Commission pays for on behalf of all libraries in Nebraska.

The standard library network discount of 10% will be applied after the 20% discount on biography products. This special offer on biography products is good through March 25, 2002.

If you are interested in a price quote for Readers' Guide Retrospective or one of the biography products please call Network Services at 800-307-2665 or e-mail Network Services with your library type and FTE/population served.

Trial note: The Nebraska Library Commission is currently sponsoring a trial of H.W. Wilson products. This trial is good through March 31, 2002 and includes access to Readers' Guide Retrospective and Biography Reference Bank. For more information see </netserv/trial.html#wilson>.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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NEBRASKA LIBRARIES ELIGIBLE FOR 25% DISCOUNT ON POLLING THE NATIONS

The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to announce that ORS Publishing is offering Nebraska libraries a 25% discount on Polling the Nations. Polling the Nations is an online database of public opinion polls containing the full text of 400,000 questions and responses from 14,000 surveys conducted from 1986 through the present in the U.S. and 80 other countries. According to the ORS website, Polling the Nations is superceding the hardbound American Public Opinion Index, which is being discontinued in 2002.

ORS Publishing is providing Nebraska libraries with two subscription options: Libraries can either purchase unlimited access to Polling the Nations for a year for a price based on their FTE/population served or they can pay for a set number of concurrent users. Both subscription options include remote patron access.

Complete pricing information and ordering instructions for Polling the Nations are available at </netserv/pricing.html#poll>.

The deadline for ordering is June 1, 2002.

The subscription term is July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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LEARNATEST.COM OFFER NEBRASKA LIBRARIES 20% DISCOUNT

LearningExpress has agreed to offer Nebraska libraries a 20% discount on their LearnATest.com database. According to the LearnATest.com website "LearnATest.com/ Library is the leading source of test preparation materials and interactive practice exams, based on official tests, that will help you improve your scores on academic, civil service, military, and professional licensing and certification exams. We provide immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and individualized analysis of your score."

Features of the new Library Site License Program include:

• Online practice tests that are true previews of the official exams.
• Instant scoring and individual analysis to help your patrons improve their test scores.
• Explanations of both right and wrong answers to promote understanding and retention.
• Access to exams for an unlimited number of patrons.
• Reports for the library system that detail monthly usage by patrons and individual exam.
• Posters and bookmarks to promote the resource to your patrons.

The order deadline for a standard July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003 subscription term is June 1, 2002. However, libraries ordering prior to June 1, 2002 will be eligible for a subscription term start date as early as April 1, 2002 at no additional cost (i.e., up to 15 months for the price of 12!). Regardless of start date, all terms will end June 30, 2003.

Pricing is for site license access and includes remote patron access. Complete pricing information and ordering instructions for LearnATest.com are available at </netserv/pricing.html#learn>.

Trial Note: The Nebraska Library Commission sponsored a trial of LearnATest.com this past fall. If libraries would like to get in and look at this product again now that we have pricing, the original trial username and password are still good. If you did not receive this information or would like to have it sent to you again, please email Susan Knisely or phone 800-307-2665 / 402-471-3849.

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

 

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	Discounts

INFOTODAY 2002 CONFERENCE DISCOUNT

Information Today, Inc. has authorized NEBASE to offer group discounts to all librarians in Nebraska who attend the InfoToday 2002 conference. The InfoToday 2002 conference will be held from May 14-16 at the New York Hilton and Towers. Detailed information about the conference can be found on the conference web page at <http://www.infotoday.com/it2002/default.htm>.

By taking advantage of this offer Nebraska librarians are eligible for the following special rates:

• Platinum Pass (May 13-17)……..$597 ($995 regular price)
  (Includes full access to all three InfoToday Conferences as well as Monday and Friday Pre- and Post Conference Workshops)

• Gold Pass (May 14-16)……..$357 ($595 regular price) (Includes full access to all three InfoToday conferences)

• National Online 2002 Conference (May 14-16)……$297 ($495 regular price)

• KnowledgeNets 2002 Conference (May 14-16)…   $297 ($495 regular price)

• E-Libraries 2002 Conference (May 14-16)……   …$297 ($495 regular price)
  

No discounts are available for daily registrations or pre- or post-conference seminars and workshops.

To register for InfoToday 2002 print off the registration form located at <http://www.infotoday.com/it2002/IT2002RegForm.pdf>. Mail or fax the completed registration form to Jodene Glaesemann at the address below. Payment must accompany your registration form. Please make checks or money orders payable to Information Today, Inc. To receive the discount, your registration must be sent to the Nebraska Library Commission. Completed registration forms must be received by April 5, 2002.

Jodene Glaesemann
Nebraska Library Commission
The Atrium
1200 N St., Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508-2023
Phone: 800-307-2665 or 402-471-4009
Fax: 402-471-2083
E-mail:

Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission

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Publications Index