LCS Annual Report 1994-95

Library Computing Services
Annual Report, July 1994 - June 1995

1.0 Highlights from 1994 - 1995
2.0 Priorities for 1995 - 1996
3.0 Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Activities
4.0 Software Self-Audit
5.0 Personnel Activities
Appendix 1-1: LIAS CAT Statistics, July 1994 - June 1995
Appendix 1-2: LIAS Z39.50 Statistics, July 1994 - June 1995
Appendix 1-3: LIAS SELECT Menu Statistics, July 1994 - June 1995
Appendix 2: LIAS Availability, July 1994 - June 1995

1.0 HIGHLIGHTS FROM 1994 - 1995

Fiscal year 1994-1995 got off to a great start for LCS with the release of the LIAS Acquisitions system in August, 1994. The rest of the year was equally exciting and successful as LCS continued to offer new databases and resources through LIAS and oversaw its evolution into a true information system. Finally, at the end of the fiscal year, LCS took a giant step forward by developing and demonstrating a prototype LIAS client to the Libraries' Deans.

Acquisitions

The LIAS Acquisitions system was released to staff at University Park and the CES campus libraries at the beginning of the fiscal year. The new system automated all of the Libraries bibliographic ordering, receiving, and invoicing processes, and was "met with unrestrained praise from the staff using it" according to one Libraries administrator. The system is integrated with the LIAS online catalog (now called The CAT), and displays "on order" information to all users. It also provides automated support for returns and credits, multiple expends and statistical and management reports. As reported in the last LCS Semi-annual report, LCS, the University Libraries, and the Office of Administrative Systems (OAS) collaborated in developing and implementing a link between LIAS Acquisitions and the IBIS accounting system, eliminating the need for Libraries accounting staff to enter duplicate data in LIAS and IBIS. The collaborative effort was very successful, and can serve as a model for other collaborative projects among all C&IS units.

LIAS Resources and Services

The number of databases and resources offered through LIAS continued to increase throughout the year. September, 1994 saw the release of the Anthropological Literature database. This database, available via the Z39.50 server at RLG, covers articles and essays in current and historical anthropology and related disciplines. In January, 1995, LCS released the GPO Access databases provided by the U.S. Government Printing Office. These databases include the following: Congressional Bills, Congressional Record, Congressional Record Index, Federal Register and others. The Mass Media Articles Index, produced locally by the University Libraries, became available through LIAS in March, 1995. This database indexes more than 50 major journals in mass media and communications.

March, 1995 also saw the release of the AGRICOLA database produced by the National Agricultural Library. AGRICOLA, a database of about two million records, provides comprehensive coverage of worldwide journal literature and monographs on agriculture and related subjects. It is loaded locally on the LIAS mainframe, updated monthly, and linked to the CAT for dynamic display of local call numbers and holdings where appropriate. Loading the AGRICOLA database was a significant undertaking, which required extensive analysis, preparation of mapping specifications and development before the database could be made available in LIAS. Of similar significance, and just as great an undertaking, was the release of theNTIS (National Technical Information Service) Database in late June, 1995. This database, which also contains almost two million documents, provides access to the results of U.S. government-sponsored research and development projects and is particularly valuable to engineering and other science-oriented disciplines.

Finally, LCS also made the World Wide Web accessible through LIAS via the LYNX WWW client. Although this client does not display images, videoclips, compressed files, or play sound files, it does provide access to the Web for those users who do not have another client.

In addition to growth in the number of resources offered through LIAS, usage of the resources also continued to grow. Appendices 1-1 through 1-3 summarizes use statistics for the various databases and other resources for fiscal year 1994-95.

LIAS Software Enhancements

In addition to expanding the resources offered through LIAS, LCS continued to enhance the system to make it more efficient for both users and staff. The LIAS Index Processing program was ready for final testing at the end of the fiscal year. This project took the updating of the keyword file out of the LIAS Update program and moved it into a new program where updating occurs separately and more optimally. This upgrade to index processing will decrease the time lapse between LIAS record changes and the updating of the index files. Likewise, the Download/Print program was in final test mod in June 1995, and should be released shortly. This enhancement will allow users to download and/or print full records on ranges of brief citations and call numbers from any LIAS database. Currently, only screen dumps are supported in LIAS. Finally, LCS consolidated all LIAS MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) Bibliographic Formats into a single integrated file. These formats are the communication standard by which LIAS and the rest of the library community share machine readable bibliographic information. The integration continues LIAS' conformance with the national standard which has become integrated after having been maintained in separate files for more than two decades.

System Upgrades

In early July 1994, LCS replaced its VAX 6310 with a Digital AXP 7000 in anticipation of moving into the client/server environment. The move to Digital's AXP will result in increased LIAS performance. LCS development staff successfully ported code from the VAX to Alpha AXP, and by the end of the fiscal year, LIAS on the AXP was ready for testing. The LCS VAX 10630 will be replaced by the AXP Alpha Server 8400 during the summer of 1995.

In addition, LCS replaced its 2400 baud dial modems with new, high-speed 14.4 modems for improved dial-up access.

Wireless LAN

In response to an initiative from IBM, the University Libraries and LCS developed two pilot projects to evaluate the use of wireless LANs in the Libraries. The first was to provide portable, networked workstations for loan within the Libraries for researchers; the second was to use the wireless technology to facilitate one of the self-directed work teams in the Libraries Acquisitions department. After numerous setback due to problems with technology (e.g., it would talk IP, but not IPX; then it talked IPX, but not IP, etc.) the wireless LAN and workstations were ready for the first pilot project, when yet another setback was encountered, this time due to the theft of a number of workstations which were to serve as base stations. The first pilot project finally got underway in June with a reduced number of base stations.

Circulation Control

The LIAS ICP Offline program was released in September 1994. This pc-based program provides offline transaction processing when the online system is not available. Transactions conducted offline on the pc are stored in a file which is automatically uploaded to the mainframe the next time the user logs on to LIAS. Libraries circulation staff had been conducting offline transactions manually since July 1993 when the antiquated circulation control terminals were replaced by pc's.

Trouble Calls

LCS staff resolved 592 trouble calls during fiscal year 1994-95.

2.0 PRIORITIES FOR 1995 - 1996

The coming fiscal year promises to be even more exciting and successful than 1994-95 with the continued expansion of resources offered through LIAS, especially full-text databases, the development of the LIAS client, and the move to a graphical user interface for LIAS. The following summarizes some of the projects that have been targeted as priorities in the coming year; a more detailed description of the projects is available at the Library Computing Services Project Status site on the World Wide Web (http://copperfield.lcs.psu.edu/).

LIAS Client

A major undertaking during the coming year will be the conversion of LIAS to client/server architecture. A very rough prototype of a potential LIAS Client was developed by LCS and demonstrated to the Libraries Dean in late June 1995. LCS will work with the Libraries LIAS Client Advisory Committee in making the transition to the client/server architecture.

Software Projects

Acquisitions/Prompt Cat -- the next phase in the development of the Acquisitions system will be a project that allows the loading of vendor-produced bibliographic records directly into LIAS, both into the catalog and the acquisitions database, reducing the staff time to prepare and input the data. The vendor files will be supplied through OCLC's Prompt Cat service.

UMI Full Text Databases -- This project will enable LCS and the Libraries to provide full text articles for the Periodical Abstracts and Newspaper Abstracts databases. The full-text databases, available from UMI (University Microforms International), will be loaded into LIAS as ASCII files.

Other Databases/Resource Projects -- LCS and the Libraries also hope to make the following databases/resources available through LIAS during the coming fiscal year:

Books in Print -- a comprehensive listing of all English-language books currently published or distributed in the United States. This database should be available in December 1995.

Encyclopedia Britannica -- an online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

MLA -- the database of the Modern Language Association.

Circulation Control -- One of the top development priorities for fiscal year 1995-1996 is an upgrade of the LIAS circulation control component, or ICP II. The current system was introduced in 1979, and although enhancements have been made through the year, a complete upgrade is now necessary. LCS plans to move ICP II to client/server architecture.

CIC VEL -- LCS and the University Libraries will continue to participate in the development of the CIC Virtual Electronic Library (VEL). Phase one of this project will enable CIC Libraries to search each other's online catalogs using Z39.50; phase two will enable CIC patrons to request materials from each other's libraries. Phone one or inter-institutional searching, is close to completion. However, due to problems in the NOTIS Z39.50 server, non-NOTIS sites such as Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin and cannot get access NOTIS institutions via Z39.50. This problem should be resolved during the coming year, and work will commence on development for phase two.

Document Requesting and Delivery -- LCS and the University Libraries will continue to explore ways to increase the Libraries effectiveness as a document requesting and delivery agent. Electronic, online requesting of documents will eliminate paper-based forms. A prototype document request form was released to the Libraries Document Delivery Team for evaluation in Fall '94; the form has been enhanced and will be implemented during the coming year. The initial phase of this project will allow users to request full text articles from RLG's CitaDel databases (e.g., Avery, EIP, etc.). Later phases will support document requesting from the Table of Contents (TOC) databases, NTIS, and the CIC VEL databases. LCS will also explore ways to electronically support intercampus lending requests.

Electronic Location and Access -- During the coming year, LCS will begin to implement MARC field 856 (Electronic Location and Access) to provide access from LIAS bibliographic records to electronic resources such as the world wide web, images, full text, video, sound etc. One of the first uses of this field will be in linking bibliographic records and full text articles in the UMI Periodical Abstracts database.

RLIN/OCLC FTP -- This project, which has almost been completed, will enable LCS to send new Penn State cataloging to RLIN and OCLC via weekly/monthly FTP rather than quarterly tapes.

MARCIVE -- LCS and the Libraries will look at the loading of brief cataloging records from MARCIVE into LIAS in order to improve the speed and efficiency of cataloging of government documents.

Authority Control -- This major project will make the data in the LIAS CAT consistent by removing/consolidating incorrect entries.

Network Projects

Switched Ethernet -- LCS will replace the University Libraries' current Ethernet network with faster, switched Ethernet hardware in order to provide abstracts, full text, video and other multimedia to the desktop. Testing of switched Ethernet will begin in LCS this summer, and upgrades to the Libraries Ethernet network hardware will follow in fiscal years 1995-96 and 1996-97.

Netware 4.1 -- LCS and the University Libraries will upgrade to Novell Netware 4.1 to enable users to share resources across servers.

3.0 CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI) ACTIVITIESp>

LCS members continued to serve on CQI teams during the reporting period. Wayne Stump served on the University Libraries Equipment Review Team which recently phased in their recommended solutions. The team will meet again in 1996 to review how the new process is working. Wayne also continued to participate in the C&IS Help Desk Teams, whose meetings have been placed on hold until the team leader returns from sabbatical. Dace Freivalds continued to serve as LCS representative on the C&IS CQI Council

4.0 SOFTWARE SELF-AUDIT

The C&IS software self-audit policy has been discussed by LCS Management, but has not yet been implemented. LCS plans to implement a software self-audit policy during the coming fiscal year.

5.0 PERSONNEL ACTIVITIES

Leave

Joni Barnoff went on maternity leave in March 1995, and will return to LCS in September 1995. Joni and Dennis Warfield became the proud parents of Adam Nickolas on March 1, 1995.

Committee Assignments

Eric Ferrin continued to participate on the Telecommunications Advisory Committee, University ID Card Committee, and Libraries Administrative Council. He also served on the Faculty Advisory Committee for Information Technology (FACIT) which functions as a faculty advisory group to all of C&IS. Eric is also a member of the Pattee Library Programming Committee, the CES Advisory Committee on Computer Support, and the University Security Policy Committee. He was also asked to serve as the PSU Libraries representative on the CIC Library Automation Directors Committee, and is a member of the university-wide Imaging Committee.

Tom Irwin and Eric Ferrin represented LCS on the C&IS Architecture Committee. The committee prepared a "white paper" for an agreed upon, common model for computing among the units of C&IS.

Mike Bender began attending meetings of the Centre County Community Network whose charge is to develop and maintain an interactive information services network which functions as an access hub to connect the general public, government and civic, educational and social agencies to facilitate communication within and beyond Centre County.

Sylvia Carson serves as LCS representative on the University Libraries Document Delivery Team.

Meetings, Seminars, Workshops

Eric Ferrin participated in Z39.50 Implementors Group (ZIG) meetings in San Francisco, CA, January 10-13.