School of Medicine Library

University of South Carolina


Communications

Summer, 1996 Issue


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Library and Information Resources Brief Annual Summary

The installation in July and the explosive growth of the School of Medicine Homepage on the Internet and resources on our Web server have been dominating activities during the past year. From 20 pages representing the Library and Computer Resources Lab and about 500 accesses a week, it has grown to more than 300 pages and about 1,500 accesses. Represented in those 300 pages are the School of Medicine, Graduate Program information, student information and Bulletin, the SOM personnel directory, Library and Computer Resources Center, Developmental Biology and Anatomy, Recycling Program and Continuing Medical Education. The department sof Physiology, Radiology, and Internal Medicine will soon be adding pages to our server. The departments of Family Practice, Preventive Medicine Residency, and Surgery, while on different servers, are directly linked to the SOM page. There are now more than 800 "hot-key" links from our homepage to other health information resources on the Internet. Library personnel verifly the continuing availability of these links at least every other week.

In spite of expanded computer-based resources on the local area network diminishing the need for the user to physically visit, library and CRC use continues at a steady pace. Since moving to our current location about 16 years ago the library recently had its two millionth visitor. Network figures show more than 175,000 hours of LAN log on hours and almost 9,300 hours of MEDLINE use. The former represents an increase of about 63% over the previous year.

Library faculty involvement in the teaching of the "Computers in Medicine" sequence in the medical curriculum continues. This sequence will move to the MI year beginning with the Fall semester. The assignment this year required the students to include a citation from a resource on the Internet and to follow National Library of Medicine bibliographic style in citing that resouce in the bibliography. The successful completion of the assignment is computer-based and paper less and requires the use of networked MEDLINE, the Internet, word processing, and E-Mail. We have added training for Powerpoint graphical presentation software to our classes and recently began offering training in the use of electronic journals.

The upgrading of the Garners Ferry Road LAN is nearly complete and equal to the network installation at the Richland site. Our local area network is now comparatively mature and the 423 workstations connected (180 at Richland and 243 at Garners Ferry Road) are relatively adequate and capable of running contemporary software. We must now concentrate on improving the variety and accessibility of networked software.

The Library is beginning a new internal strategic planning process that will focus on reinventing the library. It will be based on the relatively recent dramatic changes that have taken place in the way we manage information resources.

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Electronic Journals and JBC On-Line

As reported in the last issue of our newsletter, the Journal of Biological Chemistry On-line, has been made avaliable on the School of Medicine network. We want to encourage everyone interested to explore its features. Use http://www-jbc.stanford.edu or the Library's Hompage in a new special "Journals Section." So far JBC is the only journal that the library has officially subscribed to in an an electronic format. The subscription involves a slight extra fee in addition to the current hard copy cost. Except for this title, library policy will be NOT to pay for duplicate subscriptions (hard copy and electronic), as the library is in a continuing state of budget crisis regarding rising journal prices. The library will provide access to any electronic journals and publications that are available at no additional charge, for the present, until usage of electronic publications can be substantiated.

The publishing world is in the throes of developing methods allowing journals to be accessed via the Internet. There is alread a good deal of access available under varying conditions. For a timely overview of the new publishing, go to http://science-mag.aas.org/science, where the article "Science Journals Go Wired" from Science, 2/9/96, p. 764, by Gary Taubes, is available electronically.

Visit our new Journal Section on the Homepage to explore what is available in electronic journals for now. Please feel free to recommend free access electronic journals for inclusion in this section. For your own personal use, an individual subscription to a journal may entitle you to access that journal via the Internet, if the publisher has made it available. Check with the publication, the publisher, or on Netscape under the publisher's homepages.

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New Copiers!

In response to student requests, the library acquired two new public access photocopies on July 1 when the lease on the old copiers expired. These two state-of-the-art Minolta 6000 machines have a top-feeder for faster copying of loose papers, and will collate, hole-punch, and staple copies. These new machines hold a significantly greater amount of paper, reducing the number of times they need to be refilled, and have a touch-screen display for changing the copier settings. The copiers also shut off automatically after 2 hours of non-use to save energy and are designed to reduce paper jams. We hope to increase copying efficience and quality with these added features. If you have any questions or need instructions on how to operate the copiers, feel free to inquire at the Circulation Desk.

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RENEW BOOKS VIA THE WWW!

A new addition to the School of Medicine Library Homepage is a mailto function allowing patrons to request book renewals via the web. Simply go to the Library and CRC Homepage (http://uscm.med.sc.edu/libcrc.SHTML) and click on the Renew option. A mail screen will pop up. Type in your full name and telephone number, and any other information you'd like to give (number of books, etc), and click on send. You'll receive a message notifying you when the Circulation staff receive your request, and if there's any problem with renewing your books, they will contact you.

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LEAVING VALUABLES IN CARRELS

Students have reported various articles missing from carrels. Unfortunately, there is little that the library staff or medical school security can do concerning unsecured valuables. We urge everyone to be aware of all comings and goings in all library areas and to be aware of any situations that appear unusual. However, leaving articles unsecured, such as on a carrel or in an unlocked car, cannot be the responsibility of the School of Medicine.

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Library Training Opportunities

PowerPoint:
PowerPoint is a presentation graphics software program which allows the user to create online electronic presentations, 35 mm slides, and color or black and white overheads. The PowerPoint class offered at the School of Medicine Library is an introductory-level class which focuses on the details of creating an electronic slide show. Hands-on learning is incorporated into the class. For further information or to register for this class, contact Laura Kane (LAURA@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) or Sandra Knowles (SANDRA@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) by e-mail or call 733-3344.
PowerPoint Classes Scheduled:
Friday, August 16th, at 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 10th, at 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 31, at 3:00 p.m.
Ovid Medline:
Ovid Medline is an online database which includes in its entirety the Index Medicus. A Medline class is offered once a week in the Computer Resource Center in the School of Medicine Library. Students learn, through hands-on experience, how to conduct successful searches and how to utilize the database for best results. For further information, contact Sarah Gable (SARAH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) or Lisa Antley-Hearn (WITCH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) by e-mail or call 733-3344.
Ovid Medline Classes Scheduled:
Thursday, August 8th, at 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, October 3, at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, August 14th, at 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 9, at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, August 19th, at 10:30 a.m.
Monday, October 14th, at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 5th, at 10:30 a.m.
Friday, October 25th, at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, September 11th, at 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 29th, at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, September 16th, at 10:30 a.m.
Friday, September 27th, at 3:30 p.m.
Pegasus E-Mail for Windows:
Pegasus E-Mail for Windows is the e-mail program loaded on the School of Medicine network. A class in how to use P-Mail is offered once a month in the Computer Resource Center int he School of Medicine Library. The class focuses on the basics of reading and writing e-mail, and some of the special features available through Pegasus E-Mail, such as sending files, setting up address books and distribution lists, and organizing files and folders. For more information on classes, contact Sarah Gable (SARAH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) or Lisa Antley-Hearn (WITCH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) by e-mail or call 733-3344.
Pegasus E-Mail for Windows Classes:
Tuesday, August 27th, at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, September 18th, at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, October 21st, at 10:30 a.m.
Publications on the Internet:
For more information, contact Karen Warren (KAREN@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) or Lisa Antley-Hearn (WITCH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) by e-mail or call 733-3344.
Publications on the Internet Classes:
Thursday, August 22, at 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 26, at 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 24th, at 3:00 p.m.
GroupWise:
For more information, contact Sarah Gable (SARAH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) or Lisa Antley-Hearn (WITCH@DCSMSERVER.MED.SC.EDU) by e-mail or phone 733-3344.
GroupWise Classes:
Tuesday, August 13th, at 3:30 p.m.
Friday, September 10th, at 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, October 17th, at 3:30 p.m.

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NEWSLETTER CO-EDITORS

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Report any problems to Lisa Antley-Hearn, witch@dcsmserver.med.sc.edu

This page updated on 11 March 1997.
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