Next: Two different non-catalog databases
Up: Experiences
Previous: Penpal & Netnews
Contents
I attempted to log in to four remote catalog systems, and succeeded
with three: 1. The NovaNet Library System in Nova Scotia, Canada
(NOVANET.DAL.CA). This was a telnet connection to a library catalog.
The interface was very well thought out--the searches were conducted
in a quick and logical fashion. Each screen featured a menu of popular
commands, plus options for more advanced searching and display of
information. One ironic point was that the first screen had a
`Dialing in from home? Come see us at the reference desk!' message.
That doesn't make much sense for people dialing in remotely, and makes
even less sense for a user logging in from another country! 2.
Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich (Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland) (ETHICS3270.ETHZ.CH). This was a
TN3270 connection to Europe. My first foreign-language interface
experience! I chose to use the German menus, and was surprised how
much of it I understood. I think my domain knowledge of bibliographic
records and information technology was helping me out here. I was
really thrilled when I figured out how to do truncation searches and
which German words to use in Boolean searches. Finally, I logged in to
System number 3. The Melvyl Catalog (MELVYL.UCOP.EDU) This is my
`native' library catalog. The interface is probably not acceptable by
`novice' HCI standards, but with a short training session, it becomes
a powerful tool for locating bibliographic information. Melvyl was
the only system searched that could locate accessible information for
my term paper(i.e. I won't have to hop a plane to Sweden to pick up my
books).
Next: Two different non-catalog databases
Up: Experiences
Previous: Penpal & Netnews
Contents
sean dreilinger