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Law
holdings online at VIRGO
The Law School library's catalog of nearly 240,000 titles recently
joined VIRGO, the University
Library's online catalog.
Researchers
can now search for almost all library materials with just one
VIRGO search, or limit a search to a particular library, such
as law. The Health
Sciences library still retains its own separate catalog that
is linked to the main library's Web page at http://www.lib.virginia.edu/,
but it also has plans to merge with VIRGO by the end of the calendar
year.
"The addition of the law library holdings into VIRGO is a
major improvement in access to U.Va. collections. Given the interdisciplinary
nature of much current research, it is a significant advantage
to be able to search across collections," said Karin Wittenborg,
University librarian.
The
old law library catalog, INNOPAC, will remain online until June
2000, but no updating will be done.
E-text distribution widens
The library's Electronic
Text Center has contracted with netLibrary, a major provider
of electronic books over the Internet, to preserve 2,000 historic
texts in digital form. In addition to offering free access to
some existing texts from the E-Text Center, netLibrary will also
create new e-books from the library collections for its fee-based
service.
U.Va.
and netLibrary will select approximately 2,000 out-of-copyright,
pre-1924, English language books for this digital collection.
Selections will emphasize the history of America and of individual
states, including Virginia.
The
netLibrary will provide wider distribution of free texts from
the University's electronic collections, said David Seaman, E-Text
Center director. "In particular, netLibrary's assistance
in converting, storing, and serving the newly digitized works
to a global audience of scholars and general readers is a great
plus."
While
netLibrary subscribers worldwide will have access to this collection
on a fee basis, arrangements have been made to provide free access
to VIVA, the Virginia consortium of academic libraries.
Service
expedites book requests
The University Library now offers Purchase Express, a new, in-house
service that expedites users' requests to buy books and other
materials not currently available in U.Va.'s collections. The
items bought through Purchase Express not only meet patron needs;
the service also complements the library's collections-building
efforts and its popular Library Express On-Grounds (LEO) service.
"Through
Purchase Express and LEO, we now offer quick access to over 50
million titles available through purchase from online vendors
or by borrowing from over 6,000 libraries around the world,"
said Deputy University Librarian Kendon Stubbs.
To
use Purchase Express, a request form can be accessed via the "request
purchase" link on the library's home page at http://www.lib.virginia.edu,
and in VIRGO under "User Services." Patrons can also
submit requests by e-mail to library@virginia.edu, by phone at
924-3021, or in writing to subject librarians or at the library's
reference desks.
"Through Purchase Express we are able to use technology to
offer faculty and students customized and expedited services for
acquiring new library books," said Director of Acquisitions
Lynda Clendenning. If a user asks for a book that is in print
in the U.S., Purchase Express will try to obtain it within one
week. Titles published outside the U.S. may take a little longer.
Visit Alderman Cyber Café - see p.5.
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