Electronic journals and documents Many journals and complete government documents are now available only on the Internet or for downloading to an internal server. Therefore, the library catalog may now need to include references to titles not available in hard copy, but through external hyperlinks or pathing to files on a corporate server. Local files may need to be launched in their native application if they are not formatted in HTML, i.e., Adobe Acrobat .pdf files. Cataloging and viewing these documents presents several challenges but is an integral part of adding value to the catalog. If possible, we recommend using the library software for other, non-traditional databases to maximize the return on investment.
Some packages are more flexible than others.
This should be a consideration when specifying new library management software. Systems staff will appreciate only having to support the library on one package and may find other uses for the specialized software. If, like Inmagic, the package allows keyword, phrase, and proximity searching on unlimited text fields, it can be used to index press releases, management bulletins, newsletters, legal memos, etc. These are often added to intranets as static documents in a directory accessible through hyperlinks. Consider the benefits of loading these into databases for easier site management, controlled formatting, and searching.