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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 choose 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).

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