Purdue News

October 30, 1998 Web connects patrons and Purdue's 15 libraries WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Now patrons can zip through Purdue University's 15 libraries from the comfort of their computer desktop. "Instead of coming to the libraries, users with access to the World Wide Web are now able to have the libraries come to them," said Sheila Curl, the engineering librarian who led the team of information professionals that implemented the new gateway system over the summer. "It's not only fast and easy to use, it makes our resources available 24 hours a day." Previously, portions of the libraries' holdings were available via the Web, but patrons had to have a specific plug-in to be able to use many of its features, and the server was shut down for six hours each night for maintenance. Now the entire university library system can be navigated with a standard Web browser. "The focus groups we worked with in planning this upgrade were very clear that library users -- particularly the students -- wanted a point-and-click graphical interface just like the World Wide Web," Curl explained. "This new system allows patrons to sit down at any computer with Internet access and conduct research in any of the libraries as well as move quickly and easily between them." All of the library system's 90 public workstations have been upgraded to Internet-accessible computers, and the new gateway also can be accessed on more than 2,000 workstations in campus computing labs. Purdue's catalog of holdings is available to the public, but proprietary data bases for which the university pays licensing fees to access are limited to use by students, faculty and staff. The Web site (https://www.lib.purdue.edu) gives users the tools to accomplish a wide range of tasks, from looking up the location and status of books to actually reading complete texts of periodicals on the computer screen. Search results can be downloaded onto a disk or e-mailed to a personal account. Eventually, patrons will be able to renew checked-out materials on-line. "The new system puts Purdue's libraries on par with the most state-of-the art facilities in the country in terms of computer accessibility," said Emily Mobley, dean of libraries. "It's comparable to the system that's going to be installed at the Library of Congress next year." Future acquisitions will include additional electronic data bases with an even broader coverage of scholarly journals. Purdue's library system currently houses 2.2 million volumes, 2,100 electronic data files and 16,000 current periodicals. CONTACTS: Curl, (765) 494-2871; e-mail, curl@purdue.edu; Mobley, (765) 2900; e-mail, mobley@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page