May 1995 1

NASA CASI Library

Videotape Duplication

RECON Tip of the Month

RECON Training Dates

In This Issue

STI

CASI Seeks Users’ Help

Review of Stored Searches Needed by

July 1995

As part of the transition to the new

RECONplus system scheduled to be

implemented later this year, the

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information will be helping owners of

stored searches to convert the

searches from the RECON command language to the RECONplus

command language. The conversion

of the searches will be a combined

effort of the CASI staff and the

owners of stored searches to ensure

valid and accurate searches under

the new system. To eliminate unnecessary effort on everyone’s part,

owners of RECON stored searches

are asked to review their stored

searches by July 1, 1995.

There are over 1,700 stored searches

belonging to various NASA center

libraries, to individual searchers, and

to CASI staff. The conversion of

these stored searches is a major

Continued on page 3

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Scientific and Technical 


Information Office


TQM Works for You—800% Service Improvement

The informal Total Quality Management (TQM) initiative launched by

the NASA STI program at the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information

(CASI) in 1992 has brought many benefits to our customers. Each of

the four projects—Input Processing Development, Micrographics,

Three-Day Turnaround, and the Centralized Help Desk Project—

achieved measurable improvements in product quality and service

delivery.

Dramatic Reductions in Processing Time

The Revised Input Processing Project reduced the time required to load

records to the NASA STI Database from two weeks to one week. The

Microfiche Quality Improvements Project produced even more dramatic results: processing time was reduced from eight weeks to five days,

with improved microfiche quality. The Three-Day Turnaround initiative took a document delivery process that had seen three-quarters of

document orders take five days and transformed it into one that ensures

that 98 percent of all document order requests are completed in less

than three days. The Help Desk Project provided NASA customers with

a central place for information, assistance, and problem resolution. The

results are clear: faster service, human contact, and increased customer

satisfaction.

Process Action Teams

Three Process Action Teams (PATs) were charged with evaluating and

making recommendations for the improvement of NASA CASI’s business management office (BMO), new employee orientation (NEO), and

indexing quality (IQ) processes. By late 1994, all three PATs had presented their final project reports.

The BMOPAT reviewed the accounts receivable process, resulting in

recommendations to generate invoices in real-time and on-demand,

streamline the billing process, and improve communications.

Implementation of the NEOPAT’s recommendations will make new

employees productive more quickly and ensure the continuity of quality

services from CASI.

The IQPAT made two recommendations to produce benefits for the

user: including definitions for more than 75 percent of new terms and

adding scope notes to clarify existing terms.

The results of TQM have been encouraging, especially since many of

them have been noticed by you, our customers. TQM at NASA CASI

is an ongoing activity that has one overriding goal—the continual improvement of products and services for the STI user.

A publication for users of the NASA scientific and technical information program

May 1995 Issue

BULLETIN
May 1995 2

services. Prices are based on page

count and any associated copyright fees.

The CASI library holdings are recorded on NASA’s Aerospace

Research Information Network

(ARIN) system. ARIN is the

library management system used

by the majority of NASA center

libraries. Because the library is

located in the NASA CASI, it also

serves as the primary test site for

changes and updates to the ARIN

system.

ARIN Offers Ease of Access

Access to ARIN can be accomplished by filling out a simple

application form. An ARIN and/

or RECON Access Registration

form along with an informative

brochure, What’s In It for Me?, will

be mailed to you. Upon receipt of

the completed form, we will mail

you a password. Library materials

can be obtained by NASA employees through their affiliated library

or through interlibrary loan. Others will have to contact a NASA

center or their public library to get

an interlibrary loan. Remember, if

you have any further questions or

need help in completing the registration form, telephone

Registration Services at (301)

621-0153, fax (301) 621-0134, or

e-mail at <help@sti.nasa.gov>, or

write NASA Access Help Desk,

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, 800 Elkridge Landing

Road, Linthicum Heights, MD

21090-2934.

Videotape Duplication

Service

NASA has been documenting

NASA research and achievements

with spectacular spacecraft and

aviation footage on film and videos of the highest quality. Now,

this footage is available to aerospace researchers, educators and

enthusiasts worldwide. The NASA

STI Office video collection at the

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) was created in

response to the growing utilization

of non-print media by researchers

and educators as a means of communicating ideas and data.

Over 500 Titles

There are over 500 videos in the

collection, covering a wide range

of subject matter from historical

and educational programs to indepth recordings of research data,

images and computer modeling.

Some more popular titles include

Collection of Movies, Apollo 11

Highlights, Shuttle Earth Views,

Voyager Encounter Highlights and

NASA: The 25th Year. To keep the

collection current, the NASA centers have agreed to submit new

videos as they are produced.

Continued on page 3

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The STI Bulletin, published every other

month, informs NASA STI users about

the products, services, and news of the

NASA Scientific and Technical Information Office.

For additional information, contact

Roland Ridgeway

NASA Headquarters, Code JT

Washington, DC 20546-0001,

e-mail <rridgeway@sti.nasa.gov>.

NASA CASI

Reinvigorates Library

Few people realize that a library

exists within the NASA Center for

AeroSpace Information and that it

is becoming a key vehicle for providing open literature to the NASA

STI community. The library at

NASA CASI has in fact existed for

years, primarily containing old

journal castaways from other

NASA center libraries. However,

in 1994, the NASA STI Office reinvigorated the library by directing

NASA CASI management to acquire, manage, and disseminate

open literature, conference proceedings, and other non-technical

report literature. The CASI

library’s collection compliments

the technical report collection at

NASA CASI that now numbers

more than three million items.

Journal Literature on the Rise

In late 1993, the old collection was

extensively weeded, and room was

made for the new collection. Additional shelving increased the

capacity of the library by 80%. A

collection of materials purchased

by NASA and housed in New York

City was relocated to the NASA

CASI in April 1994.

Today, the library at NASA CASI

is home to nearly 3,000 titles and

over 5,500 individual pieces. Journals make up the largest portion of

the collection and are a prime

source for new bibliographic citations in the NASA STI Database.

The CASI library makes the full

article available to users through

NASA CASI’s document order
May 1995 3

Prices

VHS ...... $9.00 Domestic

$18.00 Foreign

Betacam . $61.00 Domestic

$122.00 Foreign

To place video orders or to obtain

price quotations for videos in foreign standards, call the NASA

Access Help Desk.

If you are not familiar with the

RECON display of citations, what

you see when you call up a citation could be confusing. It would

be helpful to have some idea of

the ‘shorthand’ of a typical citation. Citations may contain

symbols and data fields that have

abbreviations known as field tags.

Here are two symbols which typically appear in citations:

* Research sponsored by NASA

# Available on microfiche (If not

available at CASI, CASI can

identify the source.)

Below are some of the tags that

you might typically see in citations:

RPT# Report Number

CNT# Contract Number

UTTL Unclassified Title

Videotape Duplication Service

Continued From page 2

Video copies can be ordered by

phone, fax, or online through

RECON. They are available in

VHS or Betacam SP formats, in

the US standard (NTSC), or in a

broadcast standard used outside

the United States (PAL or

SECAM). Requests for other formats, SVHS and HI8, can also be

accommodated, but they may require special handling. Most video

requests are processed and

shipped within three business

days. A rush order service is available on an individual basis.

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You can contact the NASA Access

Help Desk at (301) 621-0390, fax

(301) 621-0134, e-mail at

<help@sti.nasa.gov>, or write NASA

Access Help Desk, NASA Center for

AeroSpace Information, 800 Elkridge

Landing Road, Linthicum Heights,

MD 21090-2934.

RECON TIP OF THE MONTH

transition task within the

RECONplus project. To reduce

the time and effort, CASI is interested in reducing the number of

stored searches to be converted.

Time Is of the Essence

Following discussions with the

NASA center library staffs and

other users, the decision was made

to convert only those stored

searches that have been executed

since December 1992. CASI statistics show that many of the searches

stored under RECON were created

prior to 1992 and have not been

executed since that time. Those

that have not been executed since

1992 will not be converted to the

RECONplus system.

If you want a stored search retained

that has not been run since December 1992, simply execute the search

before July 1, 1995. This will reset

the last date the search was executed and ensure that the search is

included among those to be converted. Also, please delete searches

that have been executed since

December 1992 that are no longer

useful.

If you have questions concerning

your stored search, please contact

Jonathan Grant at (301) 621-0186

or e-mail at <jgrant@sti.nasa.gov>.

CASI staff appreciate your help in

this important effort to ensure a

smooth transition.

AUTH Author

PAA Personal Author

Affiliation

PAT Personal Author Type

CORP Corporate Source

SAP Sales Agency and

Pricing

MAJS Major NASA Thesaurus

Keywords (concepts)

MIN Minor NASA Thesaurus

Keywords (concepts)

ABA Abstract Author

Data fields that are not tagged

include the following: CASI

accession number, the issue of

STAR in which this citation appeared, the page of that issue, the

subject category, the publication

date, the number of pages in the

document, the presentation note,

and the reprint note.

CASI Seeks Users’ Help

Continued From page 1
May 1995 4

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Code JT

Washington, DC 20546-0001

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Penalty for Private Use, $300

FIRST-CLASS PRESORT

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

NASA

Permit No. G-27

RECON Training Schedule

Monday, May 8, 1995

Monday, June 5, 1995

Monday, July 10, 1995

Monday, August 7, 1995

RECON users, keep this in mind: when RECONplus is up

and running, most users will need additional training.