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Changes to MDUSA Interface

Information and Library Services

Staff of ILS

Information and Library Services

Category: » Information-and-library-services » Ils-archives

When you or your students search for books in the library catalog or articles in subscription databases outside the MdUSA interface you will notice some significant changes.

New Library Catalog

The new and improved online catalog—catalogUSMAI—became live January 6, 2003, offering University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) library users more advanced search features and access to information than the previous online catalog system. VICTORWeb and VICTOR telnet are no longer available. Currently, catalogUSMAI offers access to the library catalogs formerly available in VICTORWeb. Access to the library catalogs of the University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library and St. Mary's College of Maryland Library will be added to catalogUSMAI later in 2003. For assistance in searching catalogUSMAI, see Using the Library Catalog.

Database Changes

In order to allow linking between databases to full-text articles, this semester you and your students will see a new look when you search some subscription databases. Although these databases must now be searched individually, and the search screens will look different from the familiar MdUSA screens, many more citations will link to full-text. This new feature will save you and your students time when you are searching. As an added benefit, the search screens in some databases will provided enhanced capabilities, such as the ability to limit your search to scholarly articles.

To access the full-text articles, click on the SFX button next to or under the article citation. A new screen will pop up. If the article is available full-text in another database, you will see a link to that database. If you click on the link you may go directly to the full-text article,or you maybe linked to the journal or database containing the full-text article. In the latter case you will have to search that database for the article. For articles that are not available in full-text online, the SFX screen will allow you to request the article in full-text through the UMUC Information and Library Services interlibrary loan service. To find out more, check the SFX Frequently Asked Questions page or contact ILS. 

INGENTA

Information and Library Services (ILS) would like to remind you about its Ingenta Program that provides you with increased access to current, scholarly research materials. Ingenta is a searchable database of more than 12 million citations, abstracts, and full text articles from more than 26,000 scholarly and popular journals. The ILS pilot program provides the opportunity for both faculty and Doctor of Management students to order articles listed in the Ingenta database in full text via fax. ILS is subsidizing the program and, within guidelines, there is no cost to participants. For more information on this program and how to sign up, please see the UMUC Ingenta Program FAQ.

SUBJECT GUIDES

ILS has also developed new subject guides this fall to help you and your students select the best databases, Web sites, and electronic and print books to begin your searches . There are now more than 35 guides in a variety of disciplines under Subject Guides on the ILS Home page and in the Library Handbook in the Peck Virtual Library Classroom in Web Tycho.

New guides include:

• Art
• Biotechnology
• Business Ethics
• Gerontology
• Telecommunications
• Women's Studies

ILS NEWSLETTER

Check the latest version of the Information and Library Sciences Newsletter for information on the TEACH Act and its educational ramifications, tips on searching for scholarly articles, hot links to APA citation style sites, and other items of interest.

January/February 2003