ProQuest, CSA, and Chadwyck-Healy interface changes for 2011

If you have visited any databases in the ProQuest family (which now includes Chadwyck-Healy and CSA) since the last week of December, you may have noticed some major changes to the look and capabilities. ProQuest has updated the structure of their databases to allow more searching among packages, filtering of results, and other customizable enhancements. Notable databases which are affected include:

American Periodicals Series (PQ)
ARTBibliographies Modern (CSA)
British Humanities Index (CSA)

British Periodicals (PQ)
International Index to the Performing Arts (PQ)
International Index to Music Periodicals (PQ)

MLA International Bibliography (CSA). Periodicals Archive Online (PQ), and RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (CSA) will follow to the new platform later in the year.  You can visit ProQuest central (http://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral?accountid=14214 ) to view the complete list of resources available on the new platform. In my opinion, there are several improvements to the usability and responsiveness of the platform, and I welcome your feedback.  We are submitting comments to the vendors, so please contact me if you have any suggestions. Also let me know if you’d like a personal overview of the changes. More information can be found here: http://library.syr.edu/blog/news/archives/001741.php

New MLA International Bibliography Interface at SU

You may have noticed a recent change in the interface to the MLA International Bibliography. Our previous vendor, FirstSearch, has discontinued their offering of the database, and we now purchase access through CSA. Links in the catalog and on our other webpages have been updated, but please let me know if you are unable to get to MLA from a link on the library’s website.

I’ve found the CSA Illumina platform easier to use and a bit faster than the old FirstSearch interface, and I hope you will find the same. The tools for filtering search results are expanded as well. I expect further improvements early next year when CSA and ProQuest merge their products—I’ll let you know when that happens.

One other immediate difference deals with accessing the information in the MLA Directory of Periodicals. The easiest way to get to a journal’s directory record through CSA is to go to Advanced Search, type the journal title into the search box, and select either Source, SO= or Journal Name, JN=, and click search.

Not surprisingly, the results will include citations for articles published in that journal. Clicking on the title of an article reveals full bibliographic information and a [Journal Information] link next to the source. Journal titles in this system, for some reason, are not clickable. Click [Journal Information] to access the MLA Directory record for that periodical.

Let me know if you have any questions about the new interface. You can view it for yourself here.

Library Website and SUMMIT updates

I have a couple announcements from Library IT regarding the library website and the SUMMIT catalog.

First, you may have noticed that the link to “Classic Catalog” under “Quick Links” on the homepage has disappeared. Let me assure you, SUMMIT hasn’t gone away—it has been incorporated into the main homepage “Search” box located just below the Quick Links. This is intended to allow quicker access to SUMMIT results.

This box now includes a drop-down menu that allows for basic field selection (author, title, call number, etc.).If you select any field other than “Keyword” for your search, the search will automatically be conducted in the classic SUMMIT catalog. Alternately, you can simply click on “Advanced Search” in that area to directly access the SUMMIT start page for its more advanced features. Searches performed with the default “Keyword” setting will be conducted using Discover tool.

Frequent users of SUMMIT, if they have not already, may prefer to bookmark the SUMMIT start page and bypass the homepage altogether. The address for that page is: http://summit.syr.edu

Second, a notification of some upgrades to SUMMIT. On Friday afternoon (the 21^st) for a few moments between 3 and 5pm, SUMMIT will be offline briefly for maintenance. Over the following few days Library IT will be testing different aspects of the upgrade—during this time some features of SUMMIT may be unavailable. If you have problems using SUMMIT during this time, please call the Research Assistance Desk at (315) 443-4083.

If you have any questions, please let me know.