6.2  LIBRARY CATALOGS
     

Several hundred libraries around the world, from the Snohomish Public 
Library in Washington State to the Library of Congress are now available 
to you through telnet. You can use Hytelnet to find their names, telnet 
addresses and use instructions. 

Why would you want to browse a library you can't physically get to?  Many 
libraries share books, so if yours doesn't have what you're looking for, 
you can tell the librarian where he or she can get it.  Or if you live in 
an area where the libraries are not yet online, you can use telnet to do 
some basic bibliographic research before you head down to the local 
branch. 

There are several different database programs in use by online libraries.  
Harvard's is one of the easier ones to use, so let's try it. 

Telnet to hollis.harvard.edu.  When you connect, you'll see: 
 

   *****************        H A R V A R D   U N I V E R S I T Y                
   *****************         OFFICE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY                 
   ***    ***    ***                                                           
   *** VE *** RI ***                                                           
   ***    ***    ***         HOLLIS    (Harvard OnLine LIbrary System)         
    *****     *****                                                            
     **** TAS ****           HUBS      (Harvard University Basic Services)     
       ***   ***                                                               
         *****               IU        (Information Utility)                   
          ***                                                                  
                             CMS       (VM/CMS Timesharing Service)            
                                                                               
                                                                               
             ** HOLLIS IS AVAILABLE WITHOUT ACCESS RESTRICTIONS **             
     Access to other applications is limited to individuals who have been      
     granted specific permission by an authorized person.                      
                                                                               
     To select one of the applications above, type its name on the command     
     line followed by your user ID, and press RETURN.                          
                    ** HOLLIS DOES NOT REQUIRE A USERID **                     
                                                                               
     EXAMPLES:   HOLLIS (press RETURN)  or  HUBS userid (press RETURN)         
===>                                                                           
 
Type
 
              hollis
 
and hit enter.  You'll see several screens flash by quickly until finally 
the system stops and you'll get this: 
 
                          WELCOME TO HOLLIS                                    
              (Harvard OnLine Library Information System)                      
                                                                               
 To begin, type one of the 2-character database codes listed below:            
                                                                               
        HU      Union Catalog of the Harvard libraries                         
        OW      Catalog of Older Widener materials                             
        LG      Guide to Harvard Libraries and Computing Resources             
                                                                               
        AI      Expanded Academic Index (selective 1987-1988, full 1989-  )    
        LR      Legal Resource Index (1980-  )                                 
        PA      PAIS International (1985-  )                                   
                                                                               
 To change databases from any place in HOLLIS, type CHOOSE followed by a       
 2-character database code, as in:    CHOOSE HU                                
                                                                               
 For general help in using HOLLIS, type HELP.   For HOLLIS news, type          
 HELP NEWS.   For HOLLIS hours of operation, type HELP HOURS.                  
     
        ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND         
 
The first thing to notice is the name of the system: Hollis. Librarians 
around the world seem to be inordinately found of cutesy, 
anthropomorphized acronyms for their machines (not far from Harvard, the 
librarians at Brandeis University came up with Library On-Line User 
Information Service, or Louis; MIT has Barton). 

If you want to do some general browsing, probably the best bet on the 
Harvard system is to chose HU, which gets you access to their main 
holdings, including those of its medical libraries.  Chose that, and 
you'll see this: 
                          
              THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNION CATALOG                     
                                                                               
 To begin a search, select a search option from the list below and type its    
 code on the command line.  Use either upper or lower case.                    
                                                                               
                  AU           Author search                                   
                  TI           Title search                                    
                  SU           Subject search                                  
                  ME           Medical subject search                          
                  KEYWORD      Keyword search options                          
                  CALL         Call number search options                      
                  OTHER        Other search options                            
                                                                               
 For information on the contents of the Union Catalog, type HELP.              
 To exit the Union Catalog, type QUIT.                                         
                                                                               
 A search can be entered on the COMMAND line of any screen.                    
                                                                               
          ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND.      
 
Say you want to see if Harvard has shed the starchy legacy of the 
Puritans, who founded the school.  Why not see if they have "The Joy of 
Sex" somewhere in their stacks? Type 
 
               TI Joy of Sex
 
and hit enter. This comes up:
 
HU: YOUR SEARCH RETRIEVED NO ITEMS.  Enter new command or HELP.      You typed:
 TI JOY OF SEX                                                                 
*******************************************************************************
                                                                               
                                                                               
          ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND.      
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTIONS: FIND                          START - search options           HELP   
                                       QUIT - exit database                    
COMMAND?                                                                       
 
 
 
Oh, well!  Do they have anything that mentions "sex" in the title?  Try 
another TI search, but this time just: TI sex.  You get:
 
 HU GUIDE: SUMMARY OF SEARCH RESULTS        2086 items retrieved by your search:
FIND TI SEX                                                                    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
   1    SEX                                                                    
   2    SEX A                                                                  
 823    SEXA                                                                   
 827    SEXBO                                                                  
 831    SEXCE                                                                  
 833    SEXDR                                                                  
 834    SEXE                                                                   
 879    SEXIE                                                                  
 928    SEXJA                                                                  
 929    SEXLE                                                                  
 930    SEXO                                                                   
 965    SEXPI                                                                  
 968    SEXT                                                                   
1280    SEXUA                                                                  
2084    SEXWA                                                                  
2085    SEXY                                                                   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTIONS: INDEX (or I 5 etc) to see list of items         HELP                  
                                                         START - search options
         REDO - edit search                              QUIT - exit database  
COMMAND?                                                                       
 
If you want to get more information on the first line, type 1 and hit enter:
 
 HU INDEX: LIST OF ITEMS RETRIEVED          2086 items retrieved by your search:
FIND TI SEX                                                                    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
SEX                                                                            
   1 geddes patrick sir 1854 1932/ 1914  bks                                   
                                                                               
SEX A Z                                                                        
   2 goldenson robert m/ 1987  bks                                             
                                                                               
SEX ABUSE HYSTERIA SALEM WITCH TRIALS REVISITED                                
   3 gardner richard a/ 1991  bks                                              
                                                                               
SEX AETATES MUNDI ENGLISH AND IRISH                                            
   4 irish sex aetates mundi/ 1983  bks                                        
                                                                               
SEX AFTER SIXTY A GUIDE FOR MEN AND WOMEN FOR THEIR LATER YEARS                
   5 butler robert n 1927/ 1976  bks                                           
                                                                               
                                                                               
------------------------------------------------------ (CONTINUES) ------------
OPTIONS: DISPLAY 1 (or D 5 etc) to see a record          HELP                  
         GUIDE                   MORE - next page        START - search options
         REDO - edit search                              QUIT - exit database  
COMMAND?                                                                       
 
 
Most library systems give you a way to log off and return to your host 
system.  On Hollis, hit escape followed by 
 
          xx
 
One particularly interesting system is the one run by the Colorado 
Alliance of Research Libraries, which maintains databases for libraries 
throughout Colorado, the West and even in Boston. 

     Telnet pac.carl.org.

Follow the simple log-in instructions. When you get a menu, type 72 (even 
though that is not listed), which takes you to the Pikes Peak Library 
District, which serves the city of Colorado Springs. 

Several years ago, its librarians realized they could use their database 
program not just for books but for cataloging city records and community 
information, as well.  Today, if you want to look up municipal ordinances 
or city records, you only have to type in the word you're looking for and 
you'll get back cites of the relevant laws or decisions. 

Carl will also connect you to the University of Hawaii library, which, 
like the one in Colorado Springs, has more than just bibliographic 
material online.  One of its features is an online Hawaiian almanac that 
can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Hawaiians, 
including the number injured in boogie-board accidents each year (seven).