MICROCOMPUTER & NETWORK SUPPORT UPDATE, 7/94

CONTENTS

  1. Ariel/Fax Workstation
  2. CD-ROM Networking Project
  3. New Library Training Center
  4. HP Scanner in LSO
  5. Accessible Workstations
  6. MOSIS Update
  7. Kodak PhotoCD Software
  8. Papyrus Cataloging Project
  9. 3D Imaging Experiment
  10. WWW Users Group
  11. LSO Departmental Library Consultant

  1. Ariel/Fax Workstation

    2.  LSO has begun work on a prototype combined Ariel/Fax document delivery workstation. This project is to determine the feasibility of doing both traditional fax along with Internet document transmission (using Ariel software) effectively on the same equipment configuration. If successful, this would allow a scanner, PC, and laser printer to do be used flexibly to send and receive in both formats, while minimizing the equipment needs.

    The Ariel/Fax workstation, if successful, would be used chiefly for ILL, though deployment for document delivery between libraries will also be evaluated.

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  2. CD-ROM Networking Project

    3. Much of the basic technical work for networking CD ROMs has now been completed. A new Novell server and an 8-drive CD "tower" have been installed along with CD ROM networking software called SCSI Express. Several demonstration CD ROMs are currently available over the network within Library Systems. The next steps involve obtaining license agreements and software for the titles selected for this pilot (Chem Abstracts Index, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, Historical Abstracts and EconLit), and installing networked PCs in the libraries selected for this phase (Chemistry, Chemistry learning Center, Biology, HSL, Butler Reference, ETS, Business, Lehman, and the new Ancient & Medieval Studies Reading Room).

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  3. New Library Training Center

    4. The new Library Training Center opened for business on July 5. It includes a hands-on training room (503 Butler) and a lecture/demo room (511 Butler).

    In the hands-on training room (503) has eight dedicated CLIO terminals and eight Ethernet-connected PCs, one Mac, and an X-terminal. The lecture/demo room (511) can accommodate an audience of approximately 25 people.

    An instructor's workstation, consisting of a mobile cart with a PC, an overhead transparency projector, and an LCD panel is available for use in either room (there are Ethernet jacks and Rolm dataphones in both rooms).

    The eight PCs are able to be used (via "multiboot") either as Technical Services MSW Workstations, Reference Workstations, or MOSIS workstations.

    Many thanks to Cathy Thomas, Jim Williams, Breck Witte, Dan Caldano, Rob Castro and Tom Murphy who put this all together.

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  4. HP Scanner in LSO

    5. Library Systems has acquired a color HP scanner. When it is completely configured and tested we will announce training and demonstrations for staff needing to use it for HTML or other projects. It will then be available for use on a scheduled basis. In due course, OCR software will also be installed and supported on that machine.

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  5. Accessible Workstations

    6. LSO, with advice and support from AcIS, will be installing special workstations in Butler and Lehman for use by disabled students and faculty. One will be in College Reading Room, one in Butler Reference and one in a location to be determined in Lehman Library. All three workstations will have specialized software for screen magnification and navigation by the visually disabled. Those in Butler Ref and Lehman will also have software that "reads" the screen and sends audio output to a headphone. The workstation in Butler Reference will have a Braille printer attached.

    The equipment and data connections have been ordered, and we hope to have these out sometime early in the the fall.

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  6. Update on MOSIS (Networked/Windows/MOSAIC Workstation)

    7. Beyond the eight workstations that have been installed in the new Training Center, additional MOSIS configurations have been made available for testing by Elaine Sloan, Carol Mandel and Howard Dillon. MOSIS workstations will also be installed in the near future in Lehman, Engineering, Avery, and East Asian libraries, where they will be used chiefly as "authoring workstations" for special WorldWideWeb and Internet projects. No further MOSIS installs are planned until the library equipment budget plan is completed this fall.

    A new version of MOSAIC, Alpha 2.0.5, has been tested and will shortly added to MOSIS. It includes a number of bug fixes and enhancements (including local printing). A freeware Windows file manager has been installed on all MOSIS machines, to simplify use of the system for routine operations.

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  7. Kodak PhotoCD Software

    8. Two copies of Kodak PhotoCD Access Plus software for MS Windows have been obtained for use in Avery Library and Library systems respectively. The software comes with a demonstration disk of PhotoCD images. LSO will have this software available for those needing image transfer or conversion for Internet and Web projects.

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  8. Papyrus Cataloging/Imaging Project

    9. Library Systems is preparing a data entry system for Prof. Roger Bagnall to use in a pilot project to catalog and digitize portions of the the Columbia Papyrus collection. The data entry system (currently known as GNOSIS), will allow standard cataloging to be done in a dBASE PC application in such a way that it will be able to be converted into actual USMARC records at the end of the project.

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  9. CLIO 3D Imaging Experiment

    10. LSO staff (along with Carol Mandel) have met twice with faculty from the Architecture School to discuss a possible demonstration project to create a three-dimensional visual interface to CLIO/CLIO Plus. LSO (with Geronima Maura-Raya's help!) downloaded 600 CLIO records in the philosophy and religion classification areas, reformatted them into a structured, delimited database, and provided them to the Architecture School. The goal of the demonstration project would be to determine if a 3D graphical can improve basic navigation within the CLIO database as well as users' identification of materials related by classification to items they have already retrieved.

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  10. WorldWideWeb Users Group (WUG)

    11. Over the summer, LSO formed a Web Users Group, chiefly for those involved in creating WWW documents using HTML. The group will continue to meet regularly over the summer.

    Its specific goals are:
    to teach each library staff about and share information on HTML and HTML authoring tools
    to discuss HTML projects as they proceed, sharing ideas and tips
    to advise the Libraries on any more formal training needed in this area

    In addition, questions of strategy, appropriateness of specific internet tools for specific projects, technical problems, and relationship of Web tools to CNET/CLIO Plus are expected to surface in this group and be forwarded to appropriate other individuals or committees.

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  11. LSO Departmental Consultant Pilot

    12. Beginning August 1, Breck Witte will become a part-time "special consultant" to departmental libraries, dedicating up to 25% of his week to those needing to discuss plans and proposals for new technologies. This will be considered a six-month pilot to evaluate the usefulness of this approach. Breck's task will be to work with departmental library (and when appropriate, computing) staff to navigate the fast-changing library-oriented technical environment by helping develop short and long-term strategies for equipment purchases, budgeting, space planning, and technology integration.

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