A number of new features have been implemented in recent months,
which significantly improve 
Josiahís
usability and searching capabilities.
Tables of Contents. Approximately 100,000 Josiah records
have been enhanced with detailed tables of contents, which are searchable
by title and author. Covering a vast array of topics, the items
include compilations of essays, annual reviews, and collections
of drama and poetry. Typical examples include the titles True
West or The
Peasant and Love and authors like
Walter
D. Burgess or Jean
Soderlund. The data that matched our holdings was purchased
from a vendor and merged with appropriate records. Loading of additional
records for newly received books will be done on a monthly basis.
It is expected that about 10,000 will be added annually.
Search Other Catalogs. All Josiah results screens now provide
an option to "Search Other Catalogs." Clicking on it will initiate
an automatic search of the catalogs at CLAN
(Rhode Island public libraries),HELIN
(the joint catalog of several local academic libraries), theCenter
for Research Libraries in Chicago, the Boston
Library Consortium Union List of Serials, and the CRIARL
[Rhode Island academic libraries] Union List of Serials.
The "Search Other Catalogs" function uses a technical protocol called
z39.50, which enables searching across library catalogs designed
by different vendors. Because of limitations in the protocol, the
function works best when a search is specific, and a small number
of records are retrieved. It would also be desirable to search other
systems, such as the Rhode
Island School of Designís and the BLC
Virtual Catalog, but at present these sites do not support
z39.50 access. Another current drawback is the inability to initiate
an Interlibrary Loan request once a desired item is found. At present,
the citation must be copied and pasted into the appropriate ILL
form available on the Library homepage in the menu under "online
forms."
Electronic Course Reserves. The Josiah course reserves system
now has the capability of putting digitized copies of reading materials
on reserve, enabling students to read the materials from any computer
at Brown or off-campus. Library staff scans and digitizes the materials
within the copyright guidelines. Links can also be made between
items in course reserve lists and articles in the more than three
thousand electronic journals that the Library has licensed. Faculty
and teaching assistants interested in this service should contact
the reserve staff in the appropriate library. Course
reserve form.
E-Mail Circulation Notices. Students, faculty, and staff
can now receive circulation notices at the account of their choice
via email. Forms
are available on the Library Web and at the Circulation desks for
signing up for this service.
Digital Images. For several years, Josiah has had the ability
to link to other sites on the Internet via URLs inserted into bibliographic
records. Enhancements now allow for the display of thumbnails of
digital images in the records and enable direct linking between
the thumbnails and the full images. This is particularly useful
for accessing digitized graphic materials cataloged in Josiah. For
example, work on digitizing portions of the Anne S. K. Brown Military
Collection has commenced, and the following represent some of the
titles available:Pyrotechnia
or, A discourse of artificiall fire-works; Russian
Revolutionary War Scenes; and Come
and join us brothers.
Coming Soon. Some of the Josiah enhancements which will be
implemented in the next several months include the capability of
displaying Chinese, Japanese, and Korean records in the vernacular,
a new keyword index which will search all fields in a record, and
a redesign of the Josiah web.
-Howard Pasternack
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library
