Issue No. 14
November 1994
Bilingual Catalog Enhanced
Many of you have already discovered that the Bilingual Catalog has a new interface. This CJK (Chinese- Japanese-Korean) interface, which replaces the previous Eten Chinese processing software, has attracted a lot of attention from our catalog users. They find that the new display font of the characters, with its higher resolution, is better looking, and the input methods are greatly improved.
This CJK software was developed by JOIN Computer in Taiwan. The Library and CCST have worked hard in the past year to make this software function on our campus network.
With this new CJK interface, catalog users will no longer be frustrated by finding some characters missing on the screen. It uses a much larger character set called CCCII (Chinese Character Codes for Information Interchange). CCCII contains the traditional, simplified, and variant forms of Chinese characters, as well as Japanese and Korean scripts.
This character set originated in Taiwan and has been widely adopted by the library communities including the United States. A subset of CCCII is, in effect, an ANSI standard.
JOIN’s CJK software supports many input methods, including Cangjie, Zhuyin, Pinyin, Wade-Giles, Hepburn, McCR, etc. Two function keys will allow users to select an input method and toggle between ASCII and CJK modes. The Library will continue to work with JOIN to enhance the CJK interface. Currently under development is support for the input of Chinese characters by a handwriting recognition device. This will simplify use of the Bilingual Catalog.
Collection Spotlight: CD-ROM Databases
In recent months the Library has added several important databases. The following are worth noting:
“China Law and Regulations” (1994 ed.) is a Chinese language database containing 40 million characters of China central and municipal laws and regulations. Subjects include legal definitions, foreign policy, banking and finance, customs and taxation, land and property, civil and criminal law, and much more.
“Inside Conferences” (1994+) was added as the third Table of Contents option. It indexes over 15,000 conferences worldwide each year, collected by the British Library Document Supply Centre, with extensive coverage of the sciences and technology.
“Metadex” (1985+) contains more than 40,000 citations, with abstracts, to articles covering materials science and metallurgy. The database is comprised of Metadex, Materials Business File, and Engineered Materials Abstracts.
“PAIS” (1972+) provides citations and brief abstracts for publications such as government documents, books, reports and approximately 1,200 journals related to public policy, political science, economics, and other social issues. It covers materials published in six languages. “LLBA” (Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, 1973+) provides more than 138,000 citations, with abstracts, covering linguistics and various subdisciplines. It contains abstracts of
journal articles, dissertations, books and association papers as well as book review citations.
In addition, several existing databases have been revised. The “New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia” now includes multimedia animation and video clips, a timeline, and the “Knowledge Tree. It also contains the text of the 21 volume 1993 “Academic American Encyclopedia,” including images and maps. Major database enhancements include “Books in Print Plus” – now “Global Books in Print Plus”, covering English language publications worldwide. Also, the ANSI standards have been added to the Worldwide Standards database in the database search room, and both the Science and the Social Science Citation Indexes (1994+) now include abstracts as well as citations.
Lexis/Nexis & Other Special Workshops
The Library is holding special workshops on Lexis/Nexis. Lexis/Nexis is composed of databases covering such topics as business, law, social sciences, and medicine. It provides full-text information including biographies of current news makers, company and trade reports, legal and sporting information, current news, and more. It even has the full text of the South China Morning Post.
Some workshops will be introductory, followed by an Advanced session. Sessions will be held in October and November. Based on response, these may be held again in the Spring. Sessions will be announced via email one week prior to the workshop.
The Library is offering a series of special workshops in the sciences, the first one in Biology and Biochemistry. These are hands-on workshops for databases pertaining to these topics. Contact lbclunce@usthk.ust.hk (Carol Lunce) for further information.
INTERNET: WWW – Hypertext Links on the Internet
Gopher was the first tool which freed the user from having to know where each resource is located, and provided transparent links between different resources in diverse locations. Network resources began to look more like a lattice than a hierarchical tree structure. The World Wide Web expanded this interconnection,
and added non-textual information, including images, audio, and video. With a Web client, the user can browse the net exploring Web servers, also also go to more traditional Gopher, ftp, and telnet sites.
A problem with these clients is the need for powerful machines and ‘helper’ programs to assist in using the multimedia materials. The heavy use of graphics can also have a negative impact on network speed, causing much more traffic. Another problem is the lack of useful search tools for locating Web resources.
The most common Web client is NCSA Mosaic, with versions for most platforms used at HKUST. Mosaic can be found at ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in the /Web/Mosaic directory. Web clients are currently being evaluated by CCST. For now, most users are limited to seeing the Web through a non-graphic interface. Telnet to ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu, login as www. Although advanced features will not be available, the powerful hypertext links will allow you to explore the Web. Any Macintosh with System 7, MacTCP, and Quicktime can run a Mosaic client. Some clients can be downloaded from the Library Lab Server, or run from the Macs in the Library’s Laboratory. To use a specific server, addresses must be in a format, called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The first part indicates whether it is ftp, gopher, telnet, or http – this last is the protocol used by the Web, and stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. Our local Web server is at http://sunsite.ust.hk. Also explore http://www.cuhk.edu.hk, and the NASA JPL Planets site at http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/planets.
Facilities Statistics as of October 1994
| Seating Capacity | approx. 1,500 |
| Study Rooms | 10 |
| Media Carels | 33 |
| Microform Reader/Printers | 8 |
| Public Access Terminals | 70 |
| Public Photocopiers | 16 |
| copies made | 3,650,056 |
| on 10 copiers from 7/93-6/94 |
Be Considerate
By now you have probably seen the signs in the Library asking users to “Be Considerate.” The Library is a place that is used by every member of the HKUST community. And it is the responsibility of every person who uses the Library to help make sure it continues to be a useful and comfortable place for study.
We request that all of you keep the following points in mind.
QUIET: Only YOU can make a quiet Library. We all want a quiet study environment. Unfortunately, many people speaking softly still creates a lot of noise. Please remember to keep your voice down when in the library. If your neighbors are noisy, ask them to be quiet.
SEATING: Library seating can not be reserved. If you need a seat and see one that has books or a back pack on it, but has been unoccupied for a while, you may place the unattended belonging on the floor and use the seat.
COMPACT SHELVING: Once you find your materials, please exit the aisle. Remember that other people need to use adjacent aisles. If someone is blocking an aisle for some time, politely ask them to move.
FOOD & DRINK: Food residues attract insects which are harmful to books. Water and other liquids also damage library materials. Please be reminded that food and drink are not allowed in the library.
MEDIA: The Rhythmn… The Feeling…
Armstrong, Basie, Coltrane, Davis, Ellington, Goodman, Gordon, Monk, Parker, Peterson, Vaughan…..these are just some of the jazz giants that appear on our Media shelves. In the past few months, we have selected from several “100 best” lists and succeeded in acquiring more than 240 compact discs and a few laserdiscs on jazz. As usual, we try for award-winners, representative, or historical performances. Apart from the “standards” above, we have also collected contemporaries such as Larry Carlton, Kenny G, Keith Jarret, Dave Koz; and blues favorite B.B. King. Jazz recordings are classed under M1366. For those
who are interested in the history of jazz, look up American Patchwork (ML3551.A437), or That Rhythm, Those Blues(ML3561.P6T4 1988).
“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn”- Charlie Parker.
Suggestions and Answers
In this column we respond to some of the suggestions and comments placed into the main catalog’s suggestion box. Brief responses to common suggestions may also be found in one of the main catalog’s I>Library INFORMATION screens. Suggestions typed into the main catalog are anonymous. If you want a direct response, be sure to include your e-mail address.
Copiers: Copying facilities have been greatly expanded this year. The number of public copiers has increased over 60%, from 10 to 17 – one of which is reserved for use by faculty; there is a copier card dispenser on each floor; and there is a value loader everywhere that there is a copier. A copy center is also available on LG1 during office hours.
Copier Price: Some users have questioned the increase in the photocopying charge from 20 to 30 cents per page. Library expenditure for hardware, paper, and other costs comes to over 20 cents per copy. Therefore, the increase.
LG4 Lighting: The Library is in the final stages of acquisition for the LG4 lighting fixtures. You will notice the power points where the lighting will connect are already installed under these tables.
Compact Shelving: To use the compact shelving, you should press and hold the green arrow buttons for about one second until it turns red. Momentary pressure may be ignored by the system.
Study Rooms: Three more rooms opened this Fall. Keep in mind that you can move the belongings out of an unoccupied room and use it yourself. Also, postgraduate students may now reserve the LG1 seminar room at the Reference Counter.
Public Terminals: Over the next several months, more public terminals will be added to each of the lower ground floors. This will make it easier for you to consult the main catalog from different parts of the building.
A Few Facts
- English language and Chinese language (and any other language) materials are filed into the same areas to improve access.
- Some materials are shelved separately, due to different circulation needs (Reserve Collection), or special equipment needs due to format (Microforms and Media Resources).
- Periodicals are shelved by call number, not by title. This keeps them arranged by subject, just like the rest of the collection. It also reduces confusion when their titles change.
- Periodical backfiles are usually purchased in microform, so that they occupy much less shelf space.
- Older materials, and other items not in our collection, may be effectively obtained through Interlibrary Loan.
Who to Contact
| Director of Library | 2358-6702 | MINMIN | Min-Min Chang |
| Acquisitions | 2358-6711 | LBDONW | Don Wassink |
| Cataloging | 2358-6737 | LBCAROL | Carol Litheng |
| Circulation | 2358-6771 | LBLTLEE | Linda Lee |
| Collection Development | 2358-6704 | LBRUTH | Ruth Miller |
| Media Resources | 2358-6786 | LBPCHU | Patrick Chu |
| Reference | 2358-6751 | LBTERRY | Terry Leung |
| Systems | 2358-6741 | LBLKT | K.T. Lam |
last modified 11 April 1995