The Librarian's Guide to Intranet Resources

In the June 1996 issue of Computers in Libraries, Vol. 16, #6, Mr. Cary Griffith wrote on the Intranet Opportunity requesting information on Intranets used in Law Libraries.

The intent of this guide is for the potential exchange of information within the Library and Information Science profession. With knowledge, new projects will be conceptualized and implemented which will lead to a theory for intranet usage and implemenation in libraries.

By initiating intranets in libraries, librarians will be working towards the professional competencies as stated by SLA Professional Competencies. [Back to Top of Page]

• White Papers

• Examples of Intranets in Libraries

• Content Management

• Search Engines

• Intranet Events and Seminars

• Listservers

• Publications

• Finding the Right Intranet Technologies to Buy Author David Strom is the founding editor-in-chief of Network Computing Magazine and has written hundreds of articles on networking and communications. His paper white paper addresses issues such as: how do Intranets benefit corporations, what kinds of servers are needed for Intranet applications, how to run TCP/IP across an organization, and various web and non-web components of an intranet.

  Also, by David Strom, Selecting Internet Tools which is featured in an e-mail subscription-based newsletter ($30.00 per year) - Internet Trend Watch for Libraries, Intranet issue, Vol.1, No. 3, August 1996.

• IntraNet Concepts: White Papers & Further Reading Steven L. Telleen, Ph.D, Director of IntraNet Solutions of Amdahl Corporation, writes on IntraNet Methodology: Concepts and Rationale which includes the history and terms of the Internet and WWW, the universal client concept, client-server information management, the IntraNet framework, and IntraNet users. Other papers include: Intranets and Adaptive Innovation and The Intranet Infrastructure .

• Company Whitepapers: Whitepapers of Netscape, Sun, Microsoft, Lotus/IBM, Process Software, Hummingbird, Cisco, and David Strom

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• Barclay Law Library In the Summer of 1995, The H. Douglas Barclay Law Library at the Syracuse University College of Law decided to use the skills and resources acquired in the library's development of Internet resources to create an Intranet. The intranet brings web publishing into the mainstream of the law library's work flow. The various intranet applications are in various stages of development. Highlights include:

  The ability to use the web browser program to access a diverse body of information for internal purposes such as staff forms, manuals, staff calendar, and discussion/announcement area.

  The ability of the WWW to provide a common access point through a web browser to information regardless of format.

  Widespread knowledge of HTML so that all legacy and future documents will be converted to web documents.

• University of Tennessee Chattanooga Lupton's Library The UTC Lupton's library is attempting to apply various web technologies in order to provide users with scholarly information through an Intranet... MERLIN . MERLIN attempts to provide library users with access to all of the library's electronic resources via a single, graphical user interface - Netscape or other web browser.

  MERLIN's electronic resources include: the library's online catalog, electronic indexes and abstracts available via the library's CD-ROM server, and Internet resources via the library's WWW server. The WWW server hosts digital information regarding the libraries collections, programs, and services and points to other digital information available on the Internet. Users can employ sophisticated search software to conduct multi-concept research of the library's electronic indexes and abstracts. Electronic training tutorials are available.

• National Semiconductor Technical Library Article entitled Librarians at the Gate in Webmaster Magazine written by two librarians - Mary Holland and Janell Picard. An illustrative history of how the technical library initiated the development and implementation of an Intranet without any official top management support. The goal was to access internal reports across PC's, MAC's and Unix machines. With the purchase of a server and the use of Mosaic (in 1993), by April 1995 the Intranet was born. Highlights include dealing with the skepticism of upper management on security issues and educating colleagues on the development of a web page.

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• Managing Content on the Internet Presentation given by Erich Schnell, MLS, at the 1996 MLA Conference. Schnell is the Instructor & Head of Automation Services at Prior Health Sciences Library at Ohio State University. Addresses the five stages of web site content evolution : conversion from paper, electronic patron resources, online library services, experimentation of online multimedia exhibits, dynamic documents, internet broadcast of instructional video and audio, and the electronic reference librarian.

• Creating and Maintaining Content A column of The Spider's Web an InContext publication by Gordon Bennett. Content is the fuel with which Intranets generate value . Discusses type of content: compound document, images, binary files, multi-layered text, audio, and 3D environments. Discusses the process of putting a business report with compound documents and images on the web. Discusses intranet application software for client and server.

• HTML tools, JAVA, CGI Sky Coyote addresses: How to create your own WWW home page, advanced HTML programming (image maps, forms), CGI programming, CGI database programming, JAVA, graphics programming and WWW applications programming.

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• Tools for Web Database Access Ashok Ramachandran, Consulting Manager with Noblestar Systems Corporation, introduces tools for Web Database Access: Allaire-Cold Fusion 1.5, Borland- Delphi Client/Server Suite, Spider - Net Dynamics, 2.0, Next: WebObjects Enterprise 2.0, Powersoft: Web PB, Data Window Viewer Plug-In and Window Plug-In.

• DRA WEB Data Research Associates, Inc., a provider of client/server automation systems, networking services and other related services for libraries, presents DRA WEB. DRA WEB allows a users to access any Z39.50-compatible database from any WWW browser. Future upgrades include: simultaneous searching of multiple resources, the ability to provide patron self-service functions such as reviewing checked-out materials and changing personal address information, and portability to multiple server platforms - Open VMS, UNIX, and Windows NT.

• CLARIT From Claritech Corporation, CLARIT offers an alternative to Boolean-based searching - a natural language processing tool for retrieving and managing information. A high-precision, concept-based retrieval system that can find documents related to a query even if it does not contain the actual words used in the query. It allows browsing, filtering and indexing documents by subject.

• DR-LINK From Manning and Napier Information Services is a natural language information retrieval system using technology developed by Elizabeth D. Liddy at Syracuse University. Searchers can state queries as fully- formed sentences with no special phrasing or logical syntax. Allows the searcher to select a highly relevant document as the basis for further retrieval using a More Liked Marked feature.

• SITESEARCH OCLC presents a SITESEARCH as a way for users to access library holdings, journal databases, full text, and WWW using one interface, one access point, and one search process. SITESEARCH is a set of software tools that allows searchable electronic resources across a local network to be merged with remote, diverse databases accessible from WWW browser. SITESEARCH offers a Z39.50 Server system that allows database creation and maintenance and the development of indexing rules and display formats.

• TOPIC WEB SEARCHER Verity offers Topic Web Searcher as a search and retrieval tool that uses the hypertext navigational capabilities of the Web. Users can search and retrieve information across multiple pathways such as file systems, CD-ROMs, databases, LAN's and the Internet. Standard search features include: concept, Boolean, proximity, density, stemming and zone searching. Allows support for PDF files and security features that can be integrated with web security systems.

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• Intranet Events Part of Intranet Design which is published biweekly by Innergy Inc. A monthly calendar of national and international intranet events. Examples include: the Comdex Fall '96 , IntraNetworking Summit '96 , the The Intranet Forum , and Verity's Free Internet/Intranet half-day seminar.

• McQueen and Associates Howard McQueen provides seminars on intranets. Building the Corporate Intranet Knowledge Center addresses potential applications, building a team, organizational and technical challenges, search engines, and multiple indexes and collections, mixed-format document options, natural language search engines, integration of databases, and CD-ROM collections across different platforms. McQueen often speaks at library conferences such as ASIS the Annual 96 conference. A future seminar will be presented at SLA 97 Annual.

• The Net Within: Intranets & Organizational Communications Session at the ASIS '96 Annual given by Geoff McKim, Adjunct lecturer, at Indiana University School of Library and Information Science.

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• Intranet Newsgroups The Intranet Journal presents Noteworthy Newsgroups to include: Intranet Soundings - a moderated forum dedicated to intranet solutions and technology. Also, other computer newsgroups appropriate for intranet issues.

• WEB4LIB is a listserver for librarians involved in the web. Send subsription information to listserv@library.berkeley.edu. Message archives can be found at Archives.

• CDROMLAN is a listserver for all types of CD-ROM products including indexes, abstracts, full text, statistics, and graphics. It covers all types of LAN environments (Banyan, Starlan, Ethernet, Novell) on all types of hardware (IBM, MAC, UNIX etc.) Producers of hardware, LAN software, CD-ROM products, and integrated CD-ROM LAN systems are encouraged to participate in the discussion of products. Subscribe to CDROMLAN Listserver.

• COMENIUS is a listserver for all news on the development of library and information services through computing technology and networking. Subscribe to Comenius Listserver.

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WebWeek Published by Mecklermedia , this on-line publication of the print version addresses the latest web technolgy and business strategy. A lot of product information.

Also by Mecklermedia is Web Developer

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PUBLICATION DATE and UPDATE

Publication Date: 12/12/96

Latest Update: 4/8/97

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AUTHOR

Karen Thomas, a student in the Library and Information Science School, at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

This web page has been created for a project in the Library and Information Science class at The Catholic University of America, "Organization of Internet Resources," instructed by Dr. Ingrid Hsieh-Yee.

Any knowledge of additional sites or information on libraries and intranets would be greatly appreciated. Please send to Thomas@cua.edu.

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