From: LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.BITNET (Public-Access Computer Systems Forum)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pacs-l
Subject: Library Automation--Comments & Questions
Date: 13 Oct 92 19:20:09 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU

4 Messages, 132 Lines
1) Mail or Send Function in OPACs
2) Network Utility Program Wanted
3) Library Software for Developing Countries
4) Presentation Software

Please respond directly to the authors, not PACS-L.  Thanks, Dana
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From:         Karoly Kokas <J20E001@huszeg11>
Subject:      mail or send function in the OPACs

Have anyone the information about the mail or send option in the OPACs??
I've tested this service on the Hollis (Harvard) and Melvyl, but I don't
know that how goes it in other online catalog.
In the Melvyl is the mail option ONLY in the experimental mode so I think
that it's at present rather infrequent possibility from the OPAC moduls.
I wonder about your information in this topic.
Reply, please to me not to list because I'll out of list for two weeks.

Thanks, Karoly

: Dr.Karoly Kokas                 : j20e001@huszeg11.bitnet           :
: UNIVERSITY LIBRARY              : h771kok@ella.hu                   :
: JATE UNIVERSITY OF SZEGED       : j20e001@hueco.uni-wien.ac.at      :
: H-6701 SZEGED, PF. 393.         : FAX: +36 (62) 312-718             :
: HUNGARY/EUROPE                  : Home: H-6723 SZEGED, MOLNAR U. 4. :
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From:         "Bob Samson"  <SAMSON@library.uta.edu>
Subject:      network utility program wanted

I'm looking for a network utility program and would appreciate
hearing from anyone who has knowledge of a program which will
accomplish the following:

I'd like to connect the asynchronous ports of an OCLC communications
controller to an async server on my Novell network, much the same as
a modem pool is established on a network through a Novell Asychronous
Communications Server (NACS).  This would allow OCLC comm ports to be
accessed by staff on the LAN on a first-come, first-served basis.  I
could rig the system so that connections to individual OCLC ports
would trigger the appropriate Passport configuration file so that the
correct OCLC terminal address is always associated with the correct
OCLC port.

What I am lacking is a utility that will capture a port on the
asynchronous server and then emulate a COM1 or COM2 port for the OCLC
Passport software.  Since Passport is not NACS/NASI-aware I need to
first capture the port and then feed it back to Passport so that the
OCLC software thinks the data is coming from a COM port.  This
doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but I do not know of any software
that will do what I'm asking.

I'd appreciate hearing from any network gurus out there who know of
such a utility or who might be able to head me down a different path
to accomplish basically the same thing, i.e. distributed OCLC access
through a LAN.

Many thanks.

Bob Samson
Assistant Director for Automation Services
University of Texas at Arlington
University Libraries
P.O. Box 19497
Arlington, TX  76019

(817) 273-3000 x4955
SAMSON@LIBRARY.UTA.EDU
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From: "Gregory B. Newby" <gbnewby@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: library software for developing countries (looking for some!)

A visitor to our school is attempting to automate his academic
library in Uganda.  So, this question is both a general search for
information, and a query for a specific case:

What free or cheap software exists suitable for automation in a
developing country?  (This means that it must be exportable,
or otherwise free to use outside of, say, the US.  Also requiring
fairly minimal expertise and infrastructure to start up, but
preferably also expandable.)

I am aware of Isis (sponsored by Unesco), but haven't yet found
a source for it -- pointers on this would be appreciated!

The library in question stores about 90,000 textbooks for students
(several thousand titles) which are circulated for a semester at
a time.  He has obtained a few PC-compatibles and dBase III+.  Eventually,
different libraries in the system may automate, or different collections
will be added.

Thanks for any pointers!  I've checked out the libsoft archive, and
didn't see anything that looked applicable...

 Greg Newby, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
 Ass't Prof, Grad. Sch. of Library and Information Science
 417 David Kinley Hall, 1007 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801
 Voice:  217-244-7365.  Fax:  217-244-3302
 gbnewby@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu, gnewby@ncsa.uiuc.edu, gbnewby@uiuc.edu
*-----

From: Sara Brownmiller <SNB@OREGON>
Subject: Presentation software

We received a grant from the president of our university to purchase
equipment and software to create a portable CD-ROM and online searching
workstation.  This allows us to do in-class instruction and demonstrations
anywhere on campus.  However, most classrooms on campus do not have phone
lines so we are unable to give instruction in our online catalog and
other remote services, except by using transparencies.

We are trying to identify presentation software which would allow us to
capture an online session and then use the captured search to simuluate
a live search in the classroom.  It is my understanding that IBM's
Storyboard allows the creation of this type of presentation, but that it
also carries a rather hefty price tag.

Is anyone using software to capture online or opac searches?  If so,
what programs are you using?  What is the cost and from whom was the
software purchased?  How easy is the software to use?

Thanks in advance for your help.  This request is being cross-posted
to several lists.

Sara Brownmiller                        snb@oregon.uoregon.edu
Coordinator, Electronic Resources       snb@oregon
Knight Library                          (503)346-2368
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299