MICROCOMPUTER & NETWORK SUPPORT UPDATE, 3/94
CONTENTS
1. Trackit PC Upgrades
2. "MOSIS" Workstation
3. OCLC Passport New Release Beta Test
4. Accessible Workstation Planning
5. Gifts & Exchange Automation
6. LSO-Info Notesfile
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1. Trackit PC Upgrades
Library Systems staff Jim Williams and Breck Witte began to upgrade
Trackit PCs to higher-speed 486's in late January. After some initial
roadblocks relating to software versions and system migration, the full
upgrade was completed by mid-February. Staff in Business and Lehman were
enthusiastic and reported substantial performance increases.
Trackit, a dBase application for processing Reserve Reading Lists, was
implemented in 1991 in College reserves, Business and Lehman libraries.
The system runs under Lantastic, a "peer to peer" network package, and
supports the full set of reserve activities. Since installation the three
databases had grown to such an extent that the performance of the original
286 CPUs, with limited hard drives and slow clock speed, was increasingly
unacceptable.
The Trackit Users Group (TUG) is expected to reconvene early this summer
to identify and prioritize future Trackit software enhancements. Among
those to be discussed are: porting the application to the most current
release of dBase; using the new dBase compiler to further optimize
performance; providing simultaneous multiuser input capability; rewriting
some older program code to increase efficiency and ease of maintenance;
and production of additional reports and lists.
2. "MOSIS" Workstation
Jim Williams and Breck Witte have begun developing a new prototype
microcomputer configuration to join the ranks of the technical services
Multisession Workstations (MSWs) and Reference Desk Workstations (RWSs).
With a working name of "MOSIS," this new Windows/Mosaic workstation will
become the platform on which we will build a new "productivity
workstation" for library staff needing greater functionality and
connectivity. In due course MOSES will be able to support access to a
variety of network tools and resources, including Mosaic/WorldWideWeb,
gopher, archie, veronica, ftp, telnet, CD ROMs, sound and images files,
hypertext documentation and finding aids, and "groupware" (e.g.,
scheduling software, conferencing software, shared files, shared laser
printers), using Novell and MS Windows. The availability of MOSES to CUL
staff will inevitably depend upon equipment budgets, however, since it
will in most cases require upgraded PCs, new Ethernet installations and
additional software licenses.
When the new Libraries Training Center opens this summer, we plan to have
at least one demonstration MOSIS workstation installed for library staff
to experiment with. MOSIS should help us get up to speed on the
information highway and steer us toward the promised lands of workgroup
computing and graphical user interfaces.
3. Passport Beta Test.
The Libraries are participating in a field test of version 2.10 of OCLC's
Passport software. Passport is in use on over 120 network connected PCs
(MultiSession Workstations and Reference Desk Workstations), as well as on
a number of ROLM connected PCs. Among the new features being tested are
improved network support and full scripting for automating connections to
the PRISM system. After the Passport test is complete, we will be ready
to begin working with RLG on their new "EtherLan" terminal emulation
software, which will allow full RLIN functionality (including Interlibrary
Loan and non- roman scripts) on Ethernet-connected PCs, permitting the
remaining dedicated RLIN connections to be retired.
4. Accessible Workstation Planning
Library Systems staff have begun meeting regularly with Howard Dillon,
Sheila Greenbush, of AcIS, and Lynne Bejoian, Director of Student Affairs,
to plan for providing CLIO Plus workstations designed for users with
disabilities within Butler Library.
Two older accessible workstations are currently installed in Lehman
Library; one of these will soon be re-situated within the College Reading
Room, where it can provide twenty-four hour access to CLIO-Plus. Beyond
this, plans are now being finalized for two new PC workstations and a
Braille printer to be located in Butler Reference. The new workstations
will include visual enhancement and text reading software, plus a headset,
for users with visual impairments. Future plans may include adding other
features to these workstations in the future to accommodate library users
with other kinds of disabilities. CUL staff will continue to work with
AcIS and the Student Affairs office to insure the maintenance and future
enhancement of these workstations. Dan Caldano and Jim Williams are
coordinating this project for Library Systems.
5. Gifts & Exchange Automation
Library Systems recently began replacing failing DECMATE equipment in the
Libraries Gifts and Exchange division. Library Systems and G&E staff have
begun planning for the automation of record-keeping and statistics
relating to the receipt, listing, offering, and shipping of gift and
exchange items.
To this end, Stephen Davis and Marc Duby have been working on a new dBASE
program called "GANDEX" (Gifts and Exchange application). This program
was recently installed for beta testing in G&E. It is a fully functional
relational database that will allow creation and editing of bibliographic
records, search and retrieval by a variety of index keys, generation of
exchange lists, recording of requests for items from exchange partners,
generation of shipping lists for distributing exchange books, and
compilation of statistics about CUL's exchange operations. In a later
phase, GANDEX will be networked among all G&E workstations to provide
simultaneous multiuser access to the system.
6. LSO-Info Notesfile
Library Systems recently created a new cunix notesfile, "lso-info," for
disseminating information on microcomputers, Kermit, email, CLIO, and
other topics. We recommend you place this in your .notesrc file or else
check it regularly. To look at the notesfile, type "notes lso-info" from
the $ prompt.