bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Columns
Authors: Hanstock Terry , Adatia Rachel , Bunch Allan , Fleming Edwin , Joseph Tony
Published: March 2008

1 January 1992 is the date that The Library Charges (England and Wales) Regulations come into force and bring the philosophy of the free market into the public library world for the first time. Library authorities will be able to make a charge for, amongst other things, “assisting or instructing a person how to use a computer”, “for providing a room or cubicle on library premises for the purpose of working or studying…” and “for researching and for collating information for and at the request of a person”. Not only that but “the amount and the incidence of any charge made…shall be at the discretion of the relevant authority”. But you will doubtless be relieved to know that basic lending and reference provision will continue to be free in the old‐fashioned sense of the word.
Alerts
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: March 2008

Human Development Human Development Report 1991, published by the United Nations Development Programme, is available from the Marketing Department, Microinfo Ltd, PO Box 3, Omega Park, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2PG. It contains six chapters: Measuring Human Development and Freedom, The State of Human Development, Financing Human Development, Efficiency in Human Development, The Politics of Reform, and A New Human Order. For the first time the report includes a human freedom index which makes an attempt to quantify this elusive concept. The cost of the report is £15 + £3 p&p.
Reviews
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: March 2008

This is No. 21 of Supplements to Computers in Libraries and reprints papers on online library catalogues presented to the March 1989 Computers in Libraries Conference held in Oakland, California. There are apparently three US procurement documents, Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Quotation (RFQ) which have to be completed when buying new, large‐scale equipment from suppliers and these documents dominate the process of choice and purchase. Several of the papers in this collection deal with completing these forms when acquiring or changing systems, and would have little interest in the UK. The other papers offer more general advice on coping with the problems which arise when manual processes are replaced by high‐tech systems. Such problems are exaggerated in cases where patrons expect more of the system than it can actually deliver. However, what is being described is essentially American practice and library users in the US have a subtly different attitude from that found on this side of the Atlantic. The value of the text to UK librarians would therefore be limited to the opportunity for making comparisons with their own systems.
The World's Top 20 Newspapers — The View from Down Under
Authors: Burrows Toby
Published: March 2008

How do you know if a newspaper is good? What are the best newspapers in the world? Most of us have opinions on these questions, but few would claim that our views are more than impressionistic and even intuitive. But one man who has publicly attempted to answer both these questions in a systematic way is John Merrill, Professor of Journalism at the Louisianna State University. He has put forward a list of “the world's top 20 newspapers”, accompanied by a detailed account of the grounds for his assessments.
Information flow within the university environment, and university information policy: A method study at Stockholm university
Authors: Dabrowski Marian
Published: March 2008

Since February 1990 a research project in library and information science has been in operation at the University of Stockholm. This project is being conducted under the aegis of Stockholm University library and has been financed by grants from the Swedish Council for Planning and Co‐ordination of Research and the National Board of Universities and Colleges.
Brave New World?
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: March 2008

Computer Library Services International's Annual Lecture on Library Automation, held at the Café Royal, 5 March 1992, was the eighth in an invitation‐only series, now well established. The speaker was Professor John Slater, Director of the Computing Laboratory at the University of Kent, and his subject was “Learning and Technology in Higher Education”, a field in which he is not only an expert but also a pioneer of collaboration with other academics. He began by poking fun, wittily and indiscriminately, at past librarians, computer managers and academics, and made his points by overstatement and by teasing his audience on the assumption that they, too, were old‐fashioned and believed in book‐based education.
Post‐apartheid Southern Africa: A glimmer of networking
Authors: Leong Man Dianne
Published: March 2008

Black Southern African librarians have, up to now, shied away from contact with their white counterparts in South Africa. Who could blame them for this, when the South African Library Association (SALA), in the early 1960s, deliberately closed its doors to black members? Black librarians formed their own association, the Bantu Library Association, which later became the African Library Association of South Africa (ALASA). Even though SALA re‐opened its membership to all races after it became the South African Institute of Librarianship and Information Science (SAILIS), in 1980, ALASA has continued to operate independently, and very few of its members actually attend the annual SAILIS conferences.
Making a business of it — UK Style!
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: March 2008

On 2 May 1992, Westminster City libraries welcomed a number of senior librarians to share in a launching ceremony for two initiatives. The first was the introduction of two Citizens' Charters which promise high standards of service; and the second, the division of library services into six business units.
Australia's Dream: The national approach to bibliography in a federal structure
Authors: Burrows Toby
Published: March 2008

In 1974, at the height of the French revolutionary terror, the abbé Henri Grégoire, a member of the Convention and of its Committee of Public Instruction, presented a report to the Committee on the need for a national bibliography and a national library. He attacked the bibliophages (“eaters of books”) who wanted, in the name of the revolutionary republic, to destroy the accumulated books and libraries of the pre‐revolutionary era. The materials in these libraries, he argued, were “national assets”, which should all be listed in a national bibliography and made available to the nation in a great national library.
News
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred , Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

A new, fully‐searchable database of complete facsimile US patents (with all structures and drawings) on CD‐ROM is offered, under the name Patentlmages, by MicroPatent. The service is designed for large‐scale users of patent information, including libraries (public or private). Patents can be accessed via 12 search‐fields and it is possible to zoom in on drawings, to see double‐page spreads on the screen, and to print, if required, with a laser printer. The disks are provided two weeks after the US patents are published which, if this timing can be maintained, is a speedy service.
In Transition: Some thoughts and musings on the evolution of British librarianship
Authors: Freeman Mike
Published: March 2008

Taking an historical overview of librarianship in the UK, a consistent and noticeable feature is the slow yet steady evolution of “library worker” into a nearly full‐blown and mature “professional”. The transition from “scholar librarian” in the late Middle Ages (and “monk librarian” before that) through to the Victorian age's earnest, rigorous “curators and improvers of minds” and on to the liberal, democratic expansionist “bookmen” of the early and middle twentieth century has been steady and cumulative. Whether the apotheosis is complete with the arrival, in the late twentieth century, of “information man” (or should it be “information person”?) and the hi‐tech library remains to be seen.
Ranganathan and Delhi: Notes from IFLA 1992
Authors: Freeman Mike
Published: March 2008

British librianship was well represented at the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions (IFLA) 58th General Conference held in New Delhi, 30 August to 5 September 1992. With 1,500 delegates from 72 nations, ranging from Namibia and Estonia to the USA and Russia, it was truly a cosmopolitan jamboree held in the glittering, ultramodern Taj Palace International Hotel and Conference Centre.
An Inventory of CD‐ROM in developing countries
Authors: Deschatelets Gilles
Published: March 2008

CD‐ROM (Compact Disk‐Read Only Memory) is a new information technology, which is likely to revolutionize the world of information and documentation as we know it. It is an information support of tremendous storage capacity, which can be easily manipulated and transported, and can tolerate heavy manipulation and a wide range of climatic conditions.
News
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred , Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

Royal Commonwealth Society Library Appeal Founded in 1868, the library comprises 500,000 books, manuscripts, pamphlets and catalogues and is the most complete history of colonial British life. The Society, however, is short of funds and the library is threatened with being broken up and sold. An independent charitable trust has been set up to acquire and save it and the appeal it launched at the end of September 1992 has until the end of March 1993 to raise the necessary £3 million. If the appeal is successful, the library will be moved to Cambridge University, which has promised that it will provide easy access for users and that the contents will not be split up or sold.
CD‐ROM News
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred
Published: March 2008

The CD‐ROM bandwagon is now a juggernaut which sweeps everything into its net — marathon running hardly keeps up with it. These gloriously mixed metaphors will do nicely to introduce a few more new CD‐ROM ventures!:
Virtual Reality — The “Thing” of the 1990s
Authors: Vogel Sandra
Published: March 2008

My own interest in VR stems from the fact that, in 1984, I was bought a Sinclair Spectrum as an “unbirthday” present. Since then I have been hooked on computers, and my partner, often now a computer widower, has had cause to rue the day of that impulse buy. My interest has, in the last year or so, been captured by the notion, and more recently implementation, of “virtual reality”(VR).
Government Libraries in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Abbas Tameem Jamal
Published: March 2008

Government libraries in Saudi Arabia are attached to the Ministries which organize and administrate them. They serve a specialized body of users by means of special collections and services.
Shared Cataloguing: The Way Forward
Authors: Bourne Ross
Published: March 2008

Currency with Coverage continues to raise great passion among the bibliographic community. However, the measures introduced to help reduce the British Library's cataloguing costs and improve the currency of the British National Bibliography in its various manifestations — print, on‐line, CD‐ROM, etc. — have resulted in significant rises in the cataloguing hit‐rate, as measured by UKOLN at the University of Bath.
News
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred , Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

YOUR VERY OWN CD‐ROM CD‐ROM disks can hold a great deal of information, 600Mb in fact, and there is now no shortage of available titles on almost any subject under the sun, and the great advantage is that, once information is in this form, it can be readily searched. Now a company called Pressed For Time has developed a method of direct‐to‐disk mastering which enables anyone to have their own material converted to any of the regular CD‐ROM formats as a single disk or in short runs. The company, at St John's Innovation Centre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 4WS (0223 426949; Fax: 0223 420015), can also supply replication tapes for long run production. Text or audio‐visual material must be supplied in any magnetic format such as hard disk, floppy disk or tapes. As a rough idea of costs 100Mb can be loaded for £180 with £50 extra for each additional 100Mb, excluding VAT and carriage. It would be wise, however, to consult the firm about one's own material because there would be discounts for regular work, etc. This new method of search‐storage would be excellent for some library material as, for example, local records which could then be used safely and much more efficiently. The company prides itself on working rapidly and is able, in appropriate cases, to offer even a while‐you‐wait service.
Announcing Pergamon Plus: Where authors give libraries credit
Authors: Green Toby
Published: March 2008

It is becoming clear that traditional methods of scientific dissemination are under economic and structural pressures, as the volume of scientific literature grows and much of it becomes less accessible to the practising researcher. Beyond the financial troubles in the West, there is also a pressing need to address the problems scientists in the developing world, and in former Soviet Bloc countries face in obtaining results of scientific research.
News
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred , Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

Centre for research in library and information management (Cerlim), university of central Lancashire. The Library of the University of Central Lancashire has developed a national reputation for research in the field of library and information management in recent years. This success was formally recognized in the Research Assessment Exercise carried out by the Universities Funding Council during 1992. A strategic decision has now been taken to expand research in this area by creating a Centre for Research in Library and Information Management (CERLIM).
Ignorance of bliss is no defence
Authors: Dawbarn Frances
Published: March 2008

My undergraduate career at Lancaster University began shortly before my 43rd birthday. Even though Lancaster boasts a very high percentage of mature students, this made me well over twice the average age of the majority of students. There were, of course, 101 new experiences which lay in wait for me in the coming three years, which I contemplated with emotions ranging from excitement to sheer horror. However, one aspect of student life which held no terrors, or so I thought, was using the university library. After all I had had plenty of experience with books, having been a voracious reader all my life. (Although nothing in print was ever actually banned, my reading career as a child had been largely conducted clandestinely, under the bedclothes, complete with torch and sandwiches.) However, accustomed as I was to browsing among the shelves of local libraries, I had never before confronted the mysteries of a collection of books housed within an academic institution. Could it be so very different? Indeed it could. This was Bliss.
News
Authors: Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

September was a busy month for IIS. Brian Lang, Chief Executive of the British Library, was inaugurated as the Institute's new president. Martin White, the retiring president, gave his 1992/93 presidential address entitled “Networks and Networking — Making the Right Connections”. Professor Charles Oppenheim of the University of Strathclyde gave the seventh IIS/ISI lecture “Do Citations Matter?” in which he reviewed the history of citation analysis and the significance of recent studies of the acknowledgements given in papers and how they fit into citation counts. He concluded by saying that yes, citations do matter, but we must be careful in how we use them.
Reviews
Authors: Pugh Simon
Published: March 2008

In Information: The Key to Effective Management published by MCB University Press (1989, ISBN 0 86176 443 9), Bob Norton and Malcolm Peel argue that the role of information within management is in the throes of dramatic transformation. It is vital that managers act on the implications of this change if they are to maintain their market position. While information technology continues to expand at an experiential rate, it is an extension of what has gone before and should be understood in this light. Managers need to learn to take advantage of the resources available to them in order to remain well placed — yet they suggest that the librarian is still well positioned within the overall situation.
Reviews
Authors: Ashworth Wilfred , Pettman Ian
Published: March 2008

Feona Hamilton, formerly the Library Association's Press Officer and later for a time Information, Research and Consultancy Group Manager at Aslib, offers her experience in public relations in the library world to librarians and information professionals wishing to publicise or market their services. She adopts the definitions that publicity consists of promoting something in order to draw attention to it, whereas marketing consists of promoting something in order to sell it. It has long been known that the public image of librarians is unacceptably low and that libraries fail to attract the attention they deserve, even within the organisation or authority that supports them. Everyone suffers in consequence yet surprisingly little is done to counter this belief of inferiority. There are articles and some other books, mostly of US origin, on this topic, but nothing exactly like Infopromotion.
Accessing CAS ONLINE with an M300 Workstation
Authors: Nemzer Daniel E.
Published: March 2008

The M300 Workstation is a modified IBM PC, so it can also be used to access other online systems, including DIA‐LOG, SDC, CompuServe, and CAS ON‐LINE, as a text terminal.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

One of the more powerful features of MS‐DOS microcomputers (such as the IBM PC and the OCLC M300 Workstation) is the ability to create and run a special type of “program” called a batch file. Although fully documented in the DOS manual, batch files remain poorly understood by many users. This is too bad, because even occasional PC users can use batch files to simplify and streamline day‐to‐day use of their machines.
A 3‐Step Process for Fund Reporting
Authors: St. Clair Gloriana , Bolland Nancy
Published: March 2008

When Texas A&M University Library‐agreed to be a test site for the M300 Keymap and SaveScreen enhancements, one of our objectives, besides testing these programs, was to download financial information from the OCLC Acquisitions Subsystem. We could then prepare financial reports without printing the information, then typing it into our Lotus 1–2–3 program. These reports let our other library units track their materials budget expenditures.
TALK is Cheap
Authors: Weissman Aaron
Published: March 2008

Our eagerly awaited M300 Workstation arrived in the fall of 1984 and was installed in the Reference Department, where it was to be used primarily for interlibrary loan. Once we had worked our way through the mysteries of diskettes, booting, DOS, and other arcane lingo, we were off and running. Our next question was, what else could we do with it? Chapter 5 of the OCLC M300 Guide to Operations, “Other M300 Uses,” seemed to hold the answer.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

Unless you have a hardware clock on an accessory board and have set up an AUTO‐EXEC file to automatically set your PC's internal clock from the hardware clock, the first thing you must do each time you start or reboot your system is enter the current date and time. If you're feeling lazy, or you've lost your watch, you can press  when DOS asks for the date and again when it asks for the time, and DOS will come right back with the familiar A> prompt. There is a problem with doing this, though.
A Convenient Method for Inputting Search Keys
Authors: Van Arsdale Dennis
Published: March 2008

I select, order, and process materials using our microcomputer system (a multi‐user Radio Shack TRS‐80 Model 16B with one terminal) and print labels for cards and pockets using standard OCLC‐type labels.
Letting ME Do It
Authors: Watkins Deane
Published: March 2008

“But how do we change our workflow to make the best use of this new cataloging tool?” This was the question we asked when the OCLC Cataloging Micro Enhancer software (CAT ME) appeared in the catalog department at Oregon State. A new whiz kid had joined the OCLC family, and we wanted to become acquainted with its strengths and limitations. But we didn't want to introduce changes in our cataloging procedures that would result in more book and printout shuffling rather than less.
Put the Buffer to Use
Authors: Husting Steve
Published: March 2008

Currently the M300 Workstation has a 20‐character buffer, in which you can “type ahead” and stack commands, or any keystrokes that will fit in the alloted 20 spaces. (A 20‐character buffer is also present in the IBM PC but the two are in separate programs and cannot be combined for a 40‐character total.) OCLC Retrospective Conversion staff utilize this buffer to speed input by reducing the time the computer spends waiting for human interaction. Local retrospective conversion projects could put the same techniques to use to reduce input time by increments—with the potential for saving substantial time over the life of the project.
Get Good Programs for the Price of a Phone Call
Authors: Moore Cathy
Published: March 2008

Microcomputer hobbyists and user groups across the nation have set up electronic bulletin boards—systems that thousands of people use to exchange information and public domain programs. The Madison (WI) IBM PC user group has set up a large, 24‐hour board that you can call to get free programs, answers to your questions, and information about the user group. In Milwaukee, there's a 24‐hour board that says it's especially for business applications.
Micro Training—Over Easy?
Authors: Mushrush Jan
Published: March 2008

Some people are trainers by choice, others by necessity, but nearly everyone teaches or trains most of their lives: parents teach, and sometimes learn from, children; adults train other adults; and various variations of that theme. As both a trainer and a trainee, I'd like to use this opportunity to sound off about something that has been bugging me for years—the phrase “easy to use.”
Getting Organized
Authors: May Scott
Published: March 2008

As your use of personal computers increases, you may begin to have trouble locating documents or files you have created. This problem may be compounded by the many software products available for many different applications. I will discuss several issues to be considered and offer ideas you can use to ease the burden of remembering where you saved a file or what you called it.
Not for Novices
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

In the last issue, we explored several techniques for transmitting printer control commands from an IBM PC/XT or M300 Workstation to the system printer. These commands are simply sequences of characters that turn special print modes—compressed, emphasized, etc.,—on and off. Recently, an additional technique, which works on Epson, IBM, and Epson‐compatible dot matrix printers, has come to light. If you have some other type of printer, you may also want to try it to see what happens.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

There comes a time in the life of every serious microcomputer user when the diskette‐only approach to data and program storage has to go. Perhaps your databases have grown beyond the capacity of a single diskette or you're tired of keeping track of which diskettes your communications software and word processor files are on. Whatever the reason, you add a hard disk to your system.
Getting Organized
Authors: May Scott
Published: March 2008

In the previous issue of OCLC Micro, I talked about some file naming conventions and other practices you can follow to help keep your files organized. As I pointed out, developing a method to help determine easily which file is the most current version and what its contents might be is no different whether you're using a hard disk or a diskette. But you can create a much bigger mess on a hard disk if you're not organized since there's so much more room to do it in! Over 500 files can reside in the root directory on the hard disk (vs. 112 on a diskette) and, unless you create subdirectories, you only have a root directory.
Not for Novices
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

One of the new features of PC‐DOS Version 3.1 (the latest release of DOS) is an easily installed “virtual disk,” also known as a RAM disk. A RAM disk is a “fake” disk drive; it doesn't actually exist. Here's how it works.
WORD'S WORTH
Authors: Lyons Ray
Published: March 2008

Interface, the quintessential computer term, is the method by which two parts of a system communicate with each other. Computers interface with other electronic devices—for example, printers and modems—and with nonelectronic “devices,” namely, human beings.
Eric (not ERIC)
Authors: Anderson Eric S.
Published: March 2008

I recently received a call from Marian, a sorely troubled librarian whose name and institution shall remain nameless, inquiring about the purchase of a microcomputer for her library. Almost immediately two things became apparent: she knew little about micros and one of her colleagues had convinced her that she had to have a Zambesie with a thirty megabyte drive.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

If you have an M300 Workstation and a serial printer, you may have noticed that WordStar version 3.3 will not print through the COM2 port even after you have issued the appropriate MODE commands. The reason for this is that WordStar bypasses DOS for printing, preferring to handle printing on its own. Unfortunately, WordStar assumes that a serial printer is connected to COM1. If your serial printer is on COM2, you may want to make the following modification (patch) to WordStar. This patch changes the serial printer port from COM1 to COM2.
Setting Parameters in the 3by5 Program
Authors: Myers Myrtle
Published: March 2008

At the OCLC User Contact Desk, we keep a file of forms containing information on setting up printers to work with the M300 Workstation. We keep these forms in a notebook arranged by manufacturer name and model number and they can be difficult to locate if the manufacturer's name is not apparent and the manual for the printer is not available. Because we keep a copy of OCLC Micro handy to be able to answer callers' questions, we also have the software supplied with some issues. When we discovered the keyword searching and Boolean and and or capabilities of the 3by5 program, we decided to try using it for the information from the forms so that we could have additional access points (model name, type of printer, institution name, and/or network affiliation) to the information.
Eleven Pipers Piping ♪ ♪ ♪
Authors: Smith Wesley
Published: March 2008

The DOS‐tips column in the September 1985 issue of OCLC Micro addressed some common uses of the DIRectory command in DOS. While training OCLC staff members on the IBM PC, I have found some other handy variations of DIR, including some of the piping and redirection variations. This article lists 19 DIR command variations that I think are probably all the ones you are most likely to use.
Using DOS and dBASE III to Organize Your File Directories
Authors: Cheney Hal
Published: March 2008

There are a number of software utility packages and programs that help you organize the directory of files on your diskettes. However, if you already have dBASE III and have a working knowledge of it, you can combine it with PC‐DOS commands to have everything you need to create and keep current a dBASE III file based on your diskette directory information. You can index this file and, with self‐designed report form specifications, produce listings that will help you control your files.
Not for Novices
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

Have you ever wanted to print out a copy of the current screen from within a BASIC program? Being able to do so might be preferable to coding a long, special‐purpose series of LPRINT statements. After all, the screen is (presumably) already formatted—and the user is familiar with the format from using the program! It's a great idea, with one catch—there is no “Print Screen” command in BASIC. Well, here's a nifty 4‐line subroutine you can include in your BASIC program to allow you to print out a screen any time you want.
Creating a Cataloging Activity Report Using SaveScreen and M3WRITE
Authors: Philbin Paul P.
Published: March 2008

A daily task in the OCLC Library is the tracking of information on cataloging activity for subsequent compilation in a monthly report of titles cataloged and the date of the cataloging activity. The report is used by the Manager, OCLC Library Technical Services Section, to compile statistics and to check the printed shelflist catalog cards received from OCLC.
OCLC Spine Label Displays and DOS Files
Authors: McNamara Frances
Published: March 2008

We have had a number of questions about OCLC spine label displays. Two types of displays, known as “s14” and “s16”, are currently available. Each contains a single spine label and two book card and pocket labels. Some users require only a spine label or some other variation of the spine label displays, so we plan to increase the number of displays. In addition to the “s14” and “s16” displays, users will be able to request a spine label only, or two spine labels, or a spine label with a single book pocket label. These displays should help a number of libraries.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

PC users who deal with large numbers of files using the DOS COPY command should be aware of an obscure bug in DOS version 2.1. If you use the “*.*” wildcard specification (meaning “all files in the current directory”) to copy more than 256 files, every 256th file will not actually be copied. What's worse, if you delete the original files after the copying is complete, that 256th file is gone forever! And who is going to notice one missing file among more than 250? That is, until the program that uses that file misbehaves unexpectedly, or until you actually need to update last month's circulation statistics report.
Eric (not ERIC)
Authors: Anderson Eric S.
Published: March 2008

It is difficult to analyze, especially from short range, the effect an annual conference will have on the library world. When it's held in Chicago, you can assume the posture the citizens have toward the weather and say “Wait a day and it will change.” When it's in San Francisco, you know that no matter what the show is like, you can always go down to Fisherman's Wharf, have fresh crab and sour‐dough bread, and be satisfied. New York, the site for this year's offering, left me with a strange feeling: there's something really neat here but I could never live here. That holds for the city as well as the show.
Fun with M300 Function Keys
Authors: Toplon Jim
Published: March 2008

We have lots of fun with the user‐defined function keys on our M300 Workstation. To illustrate principles that you might apply in Interlibrary Loan or in another OCLC subsystem, we'd like to share some of our uses. That single row of buttons rivals in its way the Constant Data record and, yes, even the ILL Micro Enhancer software (ILL ME) as a powerful and versatile processing tool.
Database Management on the M300 Workstation
Authors: Duck Patricia M.
Published: March 2008

We use the M300 Workstation as a microcomputer for a variety of purposes. In addition to such common applications as word processing and spreadsheets, we use three database management programs (Knowledge Man, dBASE III, and PC‐File III) for various projects. This article describes our use of PC‐File III to collect and manage preservation data.
Not for Novices
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

Have you ever gone through your diskettes or hard disk subdirectories to weed out obsolete or unwanted files? It is easy enough to use the “?” and “*” wildcard characters to delete files with common elements in their names or extensions, using commands like “ERASE *.BAK” or “ERASE RESULT?.DAT” but, if you want to delete a group of files without common elements to their names, you have to issue a separate ERASE command for each one. Until now!
Integrated Function‐Key Sequences for the M300 Workstation
Authors: Toplon Jim
Published: March 2008

You can design sequences that use one function key to work on the results of another. In this way you can complete an entire ILL workform, sending fields in batches, and only rarely need to use the arrow keys. We've developed two related sequences‐one for book requests, the other to help you through requests for article photocopies. (The techniques used here were discussed in more detail in “Fun with M300 Function Keys,” OCLC Micro, vol. 2, no. 4, beginning on p. 21.)
To Each Her Own: Function Keys
Authors: Library Jerome
Published: March 2008

As OCLC Cataloging Subsystem users who rely heavily on M300 function keys, we were pleased to see the articles in the June 1986 issue of OCLC Micro encouraging function key use.
Printing CATME Labels with WordPerfect
Authors: Simon Margaret
Published: March 2008

We are enthusiastic about the OCLC Cataloging Micro Enhancer program (CATME), particularly the time we save when searching and editing offline and the bonus of sending our FTUs in nonprime time. And we were looking forward to abandoning our old method of printing card pockets for multiple copies of items.
How to Buy the…
Authors: Lane Maier Jennifer
Published: March 2008

If you've never spent much time around computers and the thought of shopping for one panics you, take heart. Finding the right personal computer for you has very little to do with the intimidating sight of sleek machinery, glowing video monitors, and salespeople who begin their pitches with ROM, RAM, and Ks. It has everything to do with simple English and a good look at your own needs.
Using Smartco Direct Dial Acc
Authors: Marketti Diane T.
Published: March 2008

In 1985, DePaul University established an “electronic” library at the O'Hare Campus (formerly Northwest Center) in Des Plaines, IL, with a dial‐access OCLC M300 Workstation equipped with a Hayes Smart‐modem 1200 and Smartcom II software as well as OCLC Terminal Software, version 3.0. At O'Hare, we use the OCLC Online System primarily for searching and then only when patrons' needs cannot be met through LCS (Illinois' statewide Library Computer System). Therefore, the terminal is not in heavy use. However, because it is a public access terminal, it is important that logon procedures be simple.
A Smartcom II Macro for Automatic Logon via TYMNET
Authors: Moser Judy
Published: March 2008

Here are some tips to follow to set up Smartcom II to work with your equipment and automatically dial in and log on to OCLC.
Generating Name‐Authority and Cross‐Reference Cards Using the Merge Function in WordPerfect
Authors: Hemmasi Harriette
Published: March 2008

The process described here is the one we use to produce cross‐reference cards âfter the selection and verification process has been completed. As the tide indicates, it simply takes advantage of word processing software to avoid repetitive typing (and proofreading). The OCLC Authority Record this example uses is fig. 1.
Printing Bindery Forms with the User‐defined Function Keys
Authors: Wood Ross
Published: March 2008

Regular readers of OCLC Micro will already be familiar with a number of creative applications for the user‐defined function keys on the M300 Workstation. In addition to automating repetitive cataloging and interlibrary loan commands, we have programmed the function keys to print author, title, and call number information on commercial bindery forms. Producing these forms directly from the online record greatly reduces bindery preparation time, and costly mistakes resulting from incorrect information being supplied to the binder have been virtually eliminated.
 for  the M300 Workstation
Authors: Gilbert Bruce
Published: March 2008

In case you haven't read or thought enough about ways to define the function keys on the M300 Workstation, here is another possible set of definitions. These definitions stem from my frustration with the present lack of a TAB key for the OCLC Cataloging Subsystem; it seems as though I spend considerable time each working day with the right or left arrow pressed, waiting for the cursor to reach the middle of a line of text.
Generating Name‐Authority Cards and Cross References Using Apple Writer II
Authors: Caine William C.
Published: March 2008

The OCLC Name‐Authority File contains records on which local name‐authority cards and cross references can be based. The trouble used to be that the records had to be printed out, then typed manually. The advent of the M300 Workstation with its SaveScreen function allows users to save the name‐authority records to disk and manipulate them with a word processor or a database manager (see pp. 37–42, OCLC Micro, Oct. 1986). However, editing the records at the keyboard is little better than typing them manually. What is needed is a program that formats the cards automatically from the OCLC records.
Wet Disks? Try This
Authors: Olson Nancy B.
Published: March 2008

Recently a water pipe burst in the ceiling above the technical services area of Memorial Library, Mankato State University. When our staff arrived for work, they found carts of books, audiovisual materials, and computer software soaked with dirty water which continued to drip from ceiling tiles onto work areas, desks, and new materials.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

Here's a trick that lets you use Smartcom II to communicate directly with your modem. I could hardly believe it! Press  to get to the on‐line screen, then type ATZ and press  <6> (that is, press the two keys simultaneously). Use the 6 key in the top row, not the numeric keypad. The modem will return an OK response. From that point on, you can use the full “AT” command set to set special registers, modes of operation, etc. Check your modem manual to see what commands the modem can respond to.
CD‐ROM and Libraries:
Authors: Mays Louis E.
Published: March 2008

As Public Services Librarian, I am constantly looking for new and innovative ways to help our patrons find information. Working at a rural multicampus college (we have three campuses, twenty miles apart) can pose a real problem when attempting to provide access to database searching. Telephone lines were too expensive and unreliable and we were spending too much money for online database retrieval.
WordStar: The Fiction Format and Function Keys
Authors: Kaufman David
Published: March 2008

When you are learning to use your micro‐computer as a word processor, you will quickly realize that some commands that the program uses are invoked by an outlandish number of keystrokes, other commands are not mnemonic, and still others are awkwardly placed on the keyboard.
Using User‐Defined Function Keys with CAT ME
Authors: Tang Vitus
Published: March 2008

One feature of the OCLC Terminal Software we like is the user‐defined function keys. They not only save time in entering frequently repeated text and commands but also free us from typing errors. As a result, we define and use these function keys extensively at all four of our M300 Workstations. However, we were faced with a dilemma when we also started using the Cataloging Micro Enhancer (CAT ME) software in our cataloging operation. As readers who are familiar with the CAT ME know, it doesn't allow the use of user‐defined function keys. So, for a while it looked like we would either have to give up the convenience of the function keys or not use the CAT ME—both being undesirable options for us.
Word's Worth
Authors: Lyons Ray
Published: March 2008

I am still amazed when I hold my stereo recordings to the light and see the rainbowed patterns in the grooves. “That's the music,” I say to myself. Perhaps my fascination dates from my childhood, when I would turn on my record player and drag a straight pin along the groove of my Walt Disney records. I was in awe of music coming from rotating plastic and a straight pin.
Desktop Publishing
Authors: Alpert Deborah
Published: March 2008

Desktop publishing technology has been described as the fourth revolution in publishing. When the editor asked me to write an article about desktop publishing, I was going to describe it for people who know little, if anything, about it. But since it's been a long time since she asked me to write (last September!), by now probably most of you have an idea of what desktop publishing is and how it works. If you don't, there are excellent books and magazines that can explain it better than I can. What I want to do is describe how it has changed my job.
Automating OCLC Dial Access
Authors: Welsch Erwin K.
Published: March 2008

More and more librarians are using micro‐computers for dial access to OCLC and other bibliographic or information databases. Because such access incurs telecommunications as well as other charges, frequently by the fraction of a second, it is important to keep online time as brief as possible. A microcomputer and some communications programs can help reduce these costs by keeping the interactive typing of information or commands to a minimum. Automated procedures help save significant amounts of staff time as well as reduce telecommunications and other costs.
CDS 224 Autodial Modem and PC‐Talk III
Authors: Kim David U.
Published: March 2008

In the summer of 1984, Sam Houston State University library began using an M300 Workstation for DIALOG database searching, with a 2400‐baud CDS 224 Autodial Modem and PC‐Talk III as the communication software. To reduce the workload on the Workstation, about a year ago we purchased a second IBM PC for the database searches. But we are still using the CDS 2400‐baud modem and PC‐Talk III as the communication software.
DUBLINes
Authors: Patton Glenn , Weitz Jay , Hall Sue
Published: March 2008

AACR2, Chapter 9 (Draft Revision). This publication is intended to bridge the gap between the rules you may be using now for cataloging computer files—for example, the original version of AACR2, Chapter 9 or the Guidelines for Using AACR2 Chapter 9 for Cataloging Microcomputer Software (Chicago: ALA, 1984)—and the publication of the final version of the revised Chapter 9 as a part of the consolidated reprinting of AACR2 scheduled for publication in 1988. In the preface, Jean Weihs, Chair of the Joint Steering Committee, notes “It must be emphasized that this is a preliminary draft of the rules for computer files. This draft has yet to be checked for consistency with other parts of AACR2 and to undergo the usual editorial process. The final version … will probably contain changes in detail. No changes in concept will be made.”
Authority Control with a Standalone Program
Authors: Strawn Gary L.
Published: March 2008

The OCLC Terminal Software SaveScreen function allows M300 Workstation users to save records appearing on the monitor to machine‐readable files. The staff of Xavier University Libraries have created several microcomputer programs to process these files. Perhaps the most unusual of these is the program that manipulates authority and reference records.
Multifunction Card: Rio Plus II
Authors: Burns David J.
Published: March 2008

The advent of the M300XT Workstation makes conventional added memory boards unnecessary, but there remains a large installed base of M300 Workstations that only came with 256K. The popularity of many clone products, too, makes expansion of memory a topic that should be investigated. Specifically, the questions needing answers are:
MicroMARC:amc
Authors: Honhart Frederick L.
Published: March 2008

MicroMARC:amc, a USMARC AMC Format Microcomputer‐Based Local System for the Description and Management of Archival Records, Manuscript Collections, and Related Materials, was developed as both an alternative to the online bibliographic databases and as a complementary system. For many archives, historical societies, and other repositories that have archival materials, subscribing to OCLC or the Research Libraries Group is not practical for many reasons. For these libraries, a standalone local system that can interface with other systems using the MARC AMC format, e.g., OCLC, can be extremely useful. Such a system can be used to create the bibliographic record and as an automated system used to manage the repository's holdings.
Considering a Compact Disc System?
Authors: Hurley Gerry
Published: March 2008

For the past two years or so, there's been a lot of discussion about compact discs and how they will affect libraries. Now that so many compact disc products are available, you may be considering which one(s) to purchase and wondering what such a system will mean for your library. The following guidelines may help you evaluate the various products and plan for their easy integration into your library.
Not For Novices:
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

This month, I'd like to share some nifty utility programs I've come across. Every one can be created in just a few minutes, using DEBUG. (Review: DEBUG.COM, which is provided with DOS, provides direct access to the system memory and has facilities for reading from and writing to disk.) For each utility program, I'll provide the sequence of DEBUG commands that will create the program file and a description of how to use the program once you have created it. Let's get to it!
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

You may have had the experience of typing a document in which a specific word or phrase, perhaps a company or library name, occurs repeatedly in the text. To save yourself the trouble of frequent retyping, simply enter a code such as “@1” everywhere the repeating word or phrase occurs. Then, when the whole document is entered, use your word processor's “Find and Replace” function to replace “@1” with the actual text. You can have several of these “macros” in one document by using codes “@2”, “@3”, etc. (Watch out if you get to “@10”. A “@1” is hiding in there!)
Adding a Menu to Your Hard Disk
Authors: Moore Cathy
Published: March 2008

The April 1987 OCLC Micro (p. 13) describes one way you can set up a menu system to make it easier to use a hard disk. Here's a variation that uses simple commands as well as a menu, leaving people free to use either. The instructions assume you're familiar with the MD (MKDIR) and CD (CHDIR) commands.
Setting Multiple Relations in dBASE III
Authors: Cheney Hal
Published: March 2008

Inexperienced database builders may mistakenly build an all‐in‐one record format, a sort of data grab bag into which they toss all the entities that they are tracking. The bill for this careless approach comes due when they have to maintain this clumsy hodge‐podge.
Selecting a Communications Program
Authors: Welsch Erwin K.
Published: March 2008

After reading my April 1987 OCLC Micro article, several librarians have asked about ProComm and its selection as a communications package of choice and, in general, what principles to use in selecting communications packages for access to OCLC. The questions came about in part because ProComm was comparatively little‐known until recently. For example, a survey conducted by PC World found that the most commonly used packages were Crosstalk XVI and Smartcom II, followed by PC‐Talk, but no package dominated; ProComm was unmentioned. It also wasn't included in PC Magazine's otherwise comprehensive evaluation of communications programs nor was it listed in any of the standard guides, such as Bowker's, to PC software. But that was an oversight; it is a superb program.
DOS‐tips
Authors: Bendig Mark
Published: March 2008

Some users of DOS versions 3.2 and 3.3 have experienced a problem with the FORMAT command that causes them to receive an erroneous bad track zero error message. This problem has been observed on the new IBM PS/2 machines, as well as on earlier PC models. In a recent letter to PC Week, one user provided a workaround for this bug. It seems that, despite the error message, the disk has been correctly formatted!
Tracking the Drive
Authors: Tiampo Janet M.
Published: March 2008

You don't have to be a mighty hunter to buy a CD‐ROM drive, but the search will require patience and time. You can follow one of two avenues to obtain a reader: disc title providers or drive manufacturers.