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The appeal of the World Wide Web and ease of use of browsers such as Netscape have made Web access for the public a popular service in many libraries. Also, Reference staff are increasingly turning to the Web as a resource for answering questions. Not to be overlooked, however, is the wealth of information available on the Web that is of interest to Technical Services librarians and staff. Resources for acquisitions, cataloging and serials are presented, along with a recommendation to create a Technical Services home page to combine local information with access to remote sites.
The World Wide Web and browsers such as Netscape and Mosaic have simplified access to electronic resources. If a library today doesn't already provide this service to its patrons, it is likely that staff are in the process of planning to do so. The simplicity of a point and click approach, and the appeal of attractive and colorful graphics have captured the imagination of both library staff and users. Reference librarians have found the Web to be a rich source of information to supplement print and other resources available to them.
Today Technical Services librarians can share in the wealth of information available on the Web. The Internet is no longer the province of academics and researchers, and with a growing commercial presence, access is provided to many of the vendors and the services with which Technical Services staff must routinely deal. A good introduction to acquisitions and cataloging resources on the Web may be found at a site created by the {Internet Public Library.} (1). Another basic online source for Technical Services is the Library of Congress Gopher, {Marvel} (2), which includes menu options for cataloging, acquisitions, and preservation. While LC has a Web home page, at this time it does not include all of the resources available on Marvel.
A home page on the World Wide Web has become an important tool for publishers in today's competitive market. Almost every major publisher has a presence on the Web, and competition is fierce to create attractive and informative sites to appeal to potential buyers. As a result vendor and publisher home pages have become an excellent source for verification and collection development tools. The kinds of information which may be found at many Web sites to support these functions include:
There is also a wealth of information about the publishers and vendors including:
Many publisher and vendor home pages end with an invitation to the viewer to provide feedback. Companies want to make it as easy as possible for librarians and others to do business with them. Of special interest to academic librarians is the site maintained by the {Association of American University Presses} (4). Also, be sure to check Yahoo's list of publishers (5) on the Web. It is organized by subject and supports keyword searching. Routinely included is information on how to order titles from the publisher or vendor. In some cases the capability may exist to order online. Where this service is available it may be necessary to set up an account with the vendor, which requires entering a password to permit online ordering.
Other online services available to assist with the acquisitions process include a handy {currency converter} (6), that provides the currency equivalents for American dollars, Canadian dollars, English pounds, and German marks. Both United Parcel Services (7) and Federal Express (8) have home pages with information on shipping and receiving.
While the remarks above have generally applied to print publishers, it's also possible to obtain digital alternatives to print copies for some titles. Check out {Dial-a-Book} (9), which permits users to browse excerpts (some with tables-of-contents) in ASCII and then download complete books in Adobe Acrobat 2.0 PDF. LC's Web site provides links to a number of electronic texts(10), including a listing of works by specific authors, and several poetry sites on the Web.
In addition to Marvel, the Library of Congress (12) has a home page on the Web which features a number of resources of interest to Technical Services. The section on Research and Collections Services provides links to LOCIS (LC's public access catalog), to an FTP site maintained by LC, and to Marvel. The section on Cataloging and Related Standards provides access to the MARC home page. This includes MARC documentation, archives of the USMARC listserv, and a number of discussion papers and proposals from the MARC Advisory Committee. Also available are home pages from the Cataloging Directorate and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging.
Another important resource for catalogers is the OCLC web site (13). The developers have provided multiple paths to a number of files, but the most expedient approach is to click on Products and Services, then go to Collections and Technical Services. User documentation plus announcements, news releases and publications of particular interest to catalogers may all be found here. Also available are forms to make change requests and report duplicates, along with a description of products and services for catalogers - including PromptCat and authority control services. Look under Documentation and Forms for technical bulletins, MARC code lists, and an online version of Bibliographic Format and Standards. A query box is available on some screens to facilitate keyword searching or to permit the user to browse a word list.
Other categories of information on the OCLC home page include information about the organization including a concise history, employment opportunities, and online versions of the OCLC newsletter. There is an option to connect to services such as EPIC and FirstSearch, but the user must be authorized and have a password to access these databases. However, demonstration versions of InterCat and NetFirst are available. Offices Around the World provides a listing of OCLC divisions, regional networks, and international distributors of OCLC services. In several cases it's possible to send e-mail to an OCLC division or consult the home page of one of the networks.
It is often helpful to catalogers to check bibliographic records created by other libraries for examples of classification numbers, assigned subject headings, descriptive cataloging conventions, and also to assist with authority work. Links to sites such as MELVYL and Ohiolink provide access to large online union catalogs that are a rich source of numerous examples. A Web version of {Hytelnet} is now available to search these and other catalogs. An especially useful site is LC's Z39.50 gateway (15), which provides a common search interface to the catalogs of over 100 institutions. Also included is a query box for searching the catalog of the Library of Congress. Though not as flexible and powerful as searching LOCIS directly, it has the virtue of simplicity.
Libraries wanting to provide Web based tools to catalogers may wish to look at sites at the {University of Indiana} (16), {University of Michigan} (17), and the University of Virginia (18). All three are good examples of organization and show the breadth and scope of online cataloging resources available that range from listings of country and language MARC codes to the LC cutter table. More specialized home pages are also available, including one for serials catalogers (19) and one to assist in the {cataloging of foreign language materials} (20). Catalogers may wish to look at the Web site for {Cataloging and Classification Quarterly} (21), which includes the table of contents for each recent issue and abstracts where available.
Serials Librarians will find that many of the vendors with whom they routinely deal are now represented on the Web. This includes major subscription agents like {EBSCO} (24), whose Web site has a good section on electronic services for serials management. The {FAXON} (25) site includes subscription price projections, including preliminary data for next year. USBE (26) has its entire back issues shelf list of titles available to member libraries on the Web. {UMI} (27) lists all newspapers and serials available through its Serials Division, and {Elsevier} (28) includes a section on electronic publications and services, along with tables of contents of selected journals and instructions to authors. These brief remarks do not even address the fact that serials publishing on the Web has become increasingly more common. Journals may be issued both in print and electronically, but in some cases only in an online version.
Serials Librarians will find that many of the vendors with whom they routinely deal are now represented on the Web. This includes major subscription agents like {EBSCO} (24), whose Web site has a good section on electronic services for serials management. The {FAXON} (25) site includes subscription price projections, including preliminary data for next year. USBE (26) has its entire back issues shelf list of titles available to member libraries on the Web. {UMI} (27) lists all newspapers and serials available through its Serials Division, and {Elsevier} (28) includes a section on electronic publications and services, along with tables of contents of selected journals and instructions to authors. These brief remarks do not even address the fact that serials publishing on the Web has become increasingly more common. Journals may be issued both in print and electronically, but in some cases only in an online version.
With Web access to local policies and procedures it's much easier to keep documentation current, and to be assured that all staff are working from up-to-date procedures. A departmental calendar which includes staff vacations is useful to have online. Access to departmental goals along with annual reports and statistics is a good way to keep others in the library apprised of Technical Services' accomplishments. Individual staff might want their own home page, which could include at a minimum contact information, schedule, and job responsibilities. And save a few trees by using the Web rather than distributing paper copies of minutes.
A number of the remote sites which might be included on a Technical Services home page have already been mentioned. Other additions would be journals and newsletters dealing with issues of concern to Technical Services librarians and staff. Include a link to the Listserv archives of interest to Technical Services. Your local system vendor likely has a home page, so be sure to add that. You may find the names of key contact people, information on system enhancements, and possibly an opportunity to try out new system features. Also, consider including a link to ALA's home page.
For librarians the Web is no longer a novelty, but is quickly becoming an indispensable tool. As has been demonstrated a number of Web sites address Technical Services needs and interests. Staff with access to the Web have the advantage of consulting essential resources from their desktop to help in doing their jobs more efficiently and effectively.