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Database and Electronic Resource Sites
at Selected University Libraries
Database and Electronic Resource Sites |
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| University Library Website | Database Access Page | Comments
Preliminary Remarks Only |
| New Zealand Digital Library | List of Digital Libraries | This is the most comprehensive list found of digital library
sites. A few sites on this list appear below. |
| UCB | Electronic Indexes & Abstracts | A wide variety of electronic resources on the main library
page (labeled "UCB" on the left). List of Electronic Indexes & Abstracts and Electronic Reference Resources, generated by drop-down menus Electronic Indexes & Abstracts, a page of the same information, displayed statically. Alpha list. |
| CDL | Directory of Collections and Services | 1 click, labeled Directory of Collections and Services Whole site dedicated to database access and choice. Pretty, though confusing, and seems narrow at any one point. Really poor vocabularly choices for topic labels. |
| UCSC | Electronic Resources | 2 clicks, labeled Electronic Resources Alphabetic List, medium (one large page) Mostly remote resources on the web Good topic labels, self evident. Menu across top of related links. |
| UCSD | Guide to Catalogs, Databases, and Indexes | 3 clicks, labeled Guide to Catalogs, Databases, and Indexes Big alpha list available, or lists by subject fields Database advisors are pretty well hidden, not presented as a front end. One must go into Database Tips/Tutorials rather than into the DB's themselves to find the advisors. Link to Database Advisors |
| UCSF | Database and Literature Searching | 2 clicks labeled Database and Literature Searching Random list, small, seems location-centric |
| UCI | Research Resources,
A-Z or by Subject and Collection |
1 click, labeled Research Resources. (Library's home page!) Can be viewed by alpha, or by subject. Excellent blend of digital sources and real book/building info. Strong emphasis on digital resources. Best campus website (usability) and best library website I've seen. Subjects accessed by series of drop-down menus. |
| UCR | Electronic Resources | Truly bad overall design of campus website, menu mania with
unclear labels, chaotic organization. Good god, this is awful. Site gets
better underneath. 3 clicks, labeled Electronic Resources. Alpha by discipline, (SocSci, Sci and Gov) |
| UCLA | Digital Resources | 4 clicks, labled Digital Resources Divided by type (journal, reference) and by subject (discipline) |
| UCSB | Databases | 3 clicks, labeled Databases 1 page alpha list, medium-large Frame-top keeps local library links while accessing remote sites Not clear which top-link goes "home", relationship between frames is confusing Labels are titles, with brief descriptions underneath |
| UCD | Databases | 2 clicks, labeled Electronic Resources, with four subtopics
visible, each is also a link. Subdivied at entry level (dbs, journals, etc.) Alpha list with alpha links (a..b..c..) |
| UCM | No Resources | Surprise, no digital library. No library at all. No buildings. But a pretty web page. Just fields of amber grain. ("swales") In a strange way, this campus only exists as electronic information, yet "has" no information, other than "about me" stuff. |
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| University Library Website | Database Access Page | Comments
Preliminary Remarks Only |
| LANL | Electronic Databases | Los Alamos National Laboratory. Just one great elec. resources site. All the work we've done validates what they already have. And their book collection is pretty complete. |
| UIUC | New Resources | 3 clicks, labeled New Resources (everything else is telnet) Medium-small random list. Good descriptions. Where are the Old Resources? When are the New Resources no longer new? |
| UIC | Index to Databases | 3 clicks, labeled Index to Databases, though called Electronic
Resources on the actual page large alpha list |
| Yale | Research Workstation | (Yale's home page
is king of the "bookshelf metaphor sites" and must be seen) Databases are 2 clicks, under Research Workstation, then Databases. Splendic Jetson-era graphics. Interesting combination of alpha link list and subject (discipline) headings at top of page, long and detailed alpha list below. |
| Harvard | HOLLIS Plus, or Electronic Reference Services |
Complicated site. Needs more investigation. Library buildings
separated from electronic resources at the top level. HOLLIS has a web interface that seems to contain the databases, at http://hollisweb.harvard.edu:8022/stscripts/run.stn/h4165034c, with a small db set and a very confusing "enter a command" prompt at the bottom. |
| UMich | Digital Library Resources | Poor website. Flashy but murky. Only for the tourists. The Digital Library Resources are a subset of the Online Research Tools Library site is under "For Students and Faculty" Medium-long alpha list page. |
| UWash Seattle | Databases & Catalogs | 2 clicks, labeled Databases & Catalogs Medium-long alpha list (domain controlled, no links for the remote and unauthroized, but at least the list is there) |
| UNC | Online Catalogs and Electronic Resources | 2 clicks, labeled Online Catalogs and Electronic Resources Damn fine website. alpha link option, or search options, including "keywords in database descriptions" though only using full list and browser's search function. |
| Columbia | Digital Collections | 2 alternatives, labeled Reference -- Electronic Reference
Tools & Indexes, and Digital Collections Surprise! They go to the same place! (And they made me choose.) alpha list, long, also available by discipline or type Frames are ugly, but icons are OK |
Other frequent terms were CDROMS or Databases. Online Reference is also popular. Everything is
a "resource" at some sites.
General info: some campuses separate library resources as a heading from computer
resources. (Or more simply, "Libraries" and "Computing.") What is one, what is the other?
dtm Jan. 28, 1999