4 Virtual Library Service Developments
4.1 Electronic Reserve
The electronic reserve collection is at the core of the 'electronic library'
under development at the Berwick Campus, which opened in March 1996. A
significant part of the software for this system was developed within the
Library. Students may retrieve, view and print bit-mapped images of journal
articles, book chapters and recommended course readings from the bank of
computers in the Library. By the end of November, well over 2,000 accesses had
been recorded to the collection, which had grown to 500 items, mainly on tourism
and Australian studies. During 1996 the Library was required to approach
publishers individually for permission to scan the items and store them in
digital format. In the majority of cases publishers gave this approval without
charging a royalty fee. In August, the AVCC made application to the Copyright
Tribunal for a determination concerning the rate of equitable remuneration
payable under the Copyright Act by tertiary institutions making electronic
copies of literary works for storage in a database for electronic reserve. When
this determination is made, the labour-intensive bilateral negotiations with
publishers can be discontinued and the system will be able to grow more quickly.
4.2. Audio on Demand and Video on Demand
The Library has been working in partnership with ANSPAG (Advanced Network
Systems Performance and Applications Group) from the Faculty of Engineering on
two experimental projects. The Video on Demand project, McIVER (Multi-campus
Interactive Video Education Resource), operating on three campuses, uses ATM
technology to allow students to use PCs to call up video that has been stored on
a remote server and then to operate it like a videotape, playing,
fast-forwarding, freezing the images, etc. One video can be viewed
simultaneously by several students at different terminals, each of whom can
control the playback individually. This project was supported by a grant of
$40,000 from the Vice-Chancellor's Multimedia Small Grants Scheme. The Audio on
Demand project is an improved version of the popular, but currently very
labour-intensive, 'taped lecture service'. Tests to identify appropriate
software were carried out in 1996 and a pilot project is planned for the first
half of 1997.
4.3. OVID Expansion
In 1995 the Library purchased a major database system (software and database
licences) from OVID Technologies, primarily to support information access for
both internal and external (distance education) students at the Gippsland
campus. The Library used 1996 Quality Funds as well as funds from its recurrent
budget to further expand the system by increasing the number of licensed
concurrent users, upgrading the software to include World Wide Web and Windows
interfaces, and adding several additional databases in psychology, medicine and
business. With these enhancements the facility has been made accessible from all
Monash campuses, including the four teaching hospitals.
4.4 Public Access Workstations
Multimedia workstations were installed in the Music Library and Multimedia
Services and in other library branches. These are equipped with Internet access,
CD-ROM drives, sound cards, and headphones. There are now twenty workstations in
the Postgraduate studies area, eleven provided by the Computer Centre. They are
available for the search and retrieval of information and for word processing.
The Department of Politics funded two PCs for student use in the H&SS
Library for access to the Internet and other information resources. This grant
was matched by the Library, enabling purchase of a third PC. The old catalogue
terminals are gradually being replaced by PCs running Netscape, allowing access
to the more user friendly World Wide Web interface to the Library catalogue.
Eventually the World Wide Web interface will provide access to all electronic
resources.
4.5 PALS
A new release of the PALS software was installed in mid-1996. This included a
new version of the client software (PC-PALS) which requires more computer
resources than previous versions. Some of the Library's 1996 Research
Infrastructure Funds were used to replace the PC-PALS workstations unable to run
the software. Activity on the PALS system continues to grow and a transaction
rate of 25,000 per hour is reached almost daily during semesters. As this was
close to the rated maximum performance of the processor configuration, an
additional processor (second hand) was purchased with Research Infrastructure
Funds and was installed in late November. This should provide sufficient
processing capacity for another year or two. However, the current hardware is
now obsolescent and there are known deficiencies in some of the PALS software
modules. In 1997, a business case will be prepared for the University's
administration to justify replacement of the hardware and possibly the software.
A second PALS release for the year, which enhances PALS interaction with the
World Wide Web, will be installed during the 1996/97 long vacation. PALS will
then be more compatible with other networks and users can email search results
to themselves.
4.6 Network Database Access
Until recently, a DOS-based menu provided access to the CD-ROM network, but with
the introduction of several Windows-based products and the expansion of OVID it
was necessary to develop a new means of accessing network databases. A Windows
application launcher was developed to provide access to all existing CD-ROM
products as well as the newer Windows and web-based ones. At the same time, it
was necessary to upgrade some of the CD-ROM terminals.
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