The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.
[previous article] [next article]Charlotte A. Erdmann
Purdue University Libraries continue to enhance electronic capabilities. The Siegesmund Engineering Library in Potter Center is one of 15 libraries at Purdue.
I encourage new students to read two earlier No Name Newsletter
articles. These articles are online and can be accessed by typing
"help ecnnews" and selecting "NEWSLETTERS .
Erdmann, Charlotte A. "Electronic Sources Of Information: A Place To Start At The Library," No Name Newsletter, September 1992
Erdmann, Charlotte A. "Purdue University Library Catalogs: A Guide To Login/Logoff From The ECN," No Name Newsletter, February 1990
A more complete explanation of library research skills was published in 1990. This article includes sections on planning a search, using a variety of sources, and locating materials. It also includes teaching methods and frequent student problems.
Erdmann, Charlotte A. "Improving the Information-Gathering Skills of Engineering Students," Engineering Education, v.80 (May/June 1990): 456-460
Having examined the cited sources, I decided to write an update of new information and sources available at Purdue.
EIS
The Engineering Information System containing book table of
contents is still a valuable resource and should be used for
subject searches of the Engineering Library's Book collection.
The command from your UNIX prompt is: "eis" or "/usr/unsup/eis"
.
Other databases supported are References, Reserves, Conferences, and Report series. This system has easy ways to save records into a file in your account.
THOR (THe Online Resource)
The campus-wide THOR system is available through the Internet. The command from your UNIX prompt is:
"tn3270 lib.cc.purdue.edu"
or
"tn3270 lib.cc" .
Purdue's main catalog is PCAT. It contains the books and journal
titles of all Purdue Libraries. Circulation information which
indicates whether a book is on the shelf or charged out is also
available.The THOR main menu contains this list:
CATALOG Purdue Catalogs
INDEX Journal Indexes
REMOTE Other Library Catalogs
Press ENTER to go directly to PCAT
Type "CATALOG" for a list of catalogs maintained by Purdue. This
includes the West Lafayette and Calumet campuses.
Type "INDEX" for a list of indexes to journal articles and
conference papers. The following databases are available:
BIAG Biological & Agricultural Index, 1988-present BUSI Business Periodicals Index, 1988-present ENGR COMPENDEX Engineering Index 1990-present EN87 COMPENDEX Engineering Index 1987-1989 ERIC ERIC Education Database, 1988-present ER66 ERIC Education Database, 1966-1987 HUMA Humanities Index, 1988-present SOCI Social Science Index, 1988-presentType
"REMOTE" for a list of library catalogs in Indiana. The
REMOTE databases are new since the summer of 1993. Indiana
University, Ball State, and Indiana State University are
available.THOR WILDCARD
The system wildcard or truncation symbol is a ? In order to get variations on a keyword, you should type:
k=furnace? finds furnace or furnaces.
You can also indicate the number of characters to truncate:
k=mineral?6 finds mineral or minerals or
mineralogy or mineralogical
or mineralogic
Please remember that this system truncates on the first 100
word endings. Results will be incomplete when the following
error message is displayed:
Search limited to first 100 terms
generated by truncation.
LIBRARY GOPHER
The Purdue University Libraries has a gopher system available to
help users locate information on our campus as well as other
colleges, universities, and government agencies throughout the
world. Using the Internet, the system connects you to other
locations. To access, type "rlogin thorplus.lib -l cwis". Those
people using X windows may elect to use xgopher by typing
"xgopher &".
The opening menu is:
Internet Gopher Information Client v1.12S
Root gopher server: thorplus.lib.purdue.edu
1. About Purdue University.
2. About THOR+ the Purdue University Libraries Gopher Site.
3. Other Information Servers at Purdue University/
4. Other information Servers on the Internet/
5. Thor+ Suggestion Form
6. Administrivia/
7. E-Mail Addresses and Telephone Numbers(World Wide)/
8. Library Catalogs and Gophers/
9. Purdue University Libraries/
10. Weather Reports and Maps/
11. Interesting items on the Net (8/17/93)/
12. Current Contents On Diskette/
13. Instructions for searching Directories of all Purdue Gophers .
14. Search Directories of all Purdue Gophers (experimental)
Press ? for Help, q to Quit, u to go up a menu Page: 1/1
I encourage you to explore the capabilities of the Purdue
Libraries' gopher system. It can also connect you to other
campus gophers. Read the January 1993, No Name Newsletter for
information on using gopher across the Internet.CD-ROM DATABASES
The number of indexes available on CD-ROM is increasing. Purdue University Libraries produces a CD-ROM - Diskette Directory each semester. Students who wish to see the list may contact the Information Desk.
The Engineering Library has a number of indexes and directories available. Students must come to the library to use these one- stop computer stations. The software is different for each source.
Searching by users is available only when the Information Desk is staffed. These hours are usually Monday through Thursday, 8am- 10pm; Friday, 8am-5pm; weekend hours vary. The sources listed in the next column are available in the Engineering Library.
The following CD-ROMs were described in the September 1992, No Name Newsletter article:
APPLIED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INDEX CASSIS (PATENTS) DoD STANDARDIZATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION SYSTEM INSPEC ONDISC WATER RESOURCES ABSTRACTS TOXIC RELEASE INVENTORY TRADEMARKS VENDOR MASTER DIRECTORY WORLDWIDE STANDARDS DIRECTORYAdded since the 1992 article is:
NASA/ASTRO
This is a beta test version of a new product. The database corresponds to the printed NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports and International Aerospace Abstracts. It covers 1988-present.
This form of index availability is expanding; therefore, it would be wise to ask at the Reference Desk later in the semester about any CD-ROMs that may have been added to the inventory.
PROPOSED CLASSES
Classes are planned to show students how to use the THOR databases and CD-ROM databases. It is hoped that the each session will be subject specific and offer opportunity for demonstration and practice.
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