| Henderson and Other USG
Libraries Initiate New Resource Sharing Service
The libraries of the institutions in the University System
of Georgia (USG) have implemented an automated system that gives
authorized users quick and easy access to more than four million
titles. Called GIL Express, the new system
allows USG faculty, staff and students to make online or in-person
requests for any of the items contained in the general collections
of 35 libraries throughout the state. According to GIL Steering
Committee Chair W. Bede Mitchell, the system features an easy-to-use
interface, immediate patron validation and automatic tracking
of materials. Most requested materials are delivered within
three days.
"GIL Express eliminates barriers to information access,
making every book in the entire USG library system accessible
to every library patron," said Mitchell, who is the dean
of the Zach Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University.
"This is particularly relevant for distance learners and
mobile library patrons who can pick up items from any library
and return them to any library."
GIL Express is the most recent evolution of GALILEO Interconnected
Libraries (GIL), which is the second phase of the University
System's GALILEO initiative. GALILEO - which stands for Georgia
Library Learning Online - is a World Wide Web-based virtual
library that provides access to multiple information resources.
The community of more than 2,000 GALILEO institutions includes
the USG, K-12 schools, public libraries, adult technical institutes
and colleges, and a group of private academic colleges and universities.
Implemented in September, GIL Express replaced the USG borrowing
card that used to be required for faculty, staff and students
who wanted materials from a USG library other than the one at
their home institution.
Through the local campuses' online catalogs, patrons have access
to the Universal Catalog, which combines the individual collections
of the libraries at the 34 USG institutions and the Gwinnett
University Center. The Universal Catalog contains over 4.3 millions
titles, including 2.6 million titles that are held by only one
library in the USG.
"GIL Express and the universal catalog leverage unique
resources by extending their use throughout the University System
of Georgia," Mitchell said. "This is very important
at times when book budgets are slim.
"Contrary to the popular myths that everything is free
and on the Internet and that people don't read anymore, USG
patrons had over 1.5 million circulation transactions in FY
'04."
GIL Express is the result of the USG library faculty and staff's
dedication to "bricks and clicks" service. This means
complementing the services available through the on-campus library
locations with the Internet.
"In the past, our faculty and graduate students would often
have to drive to other USG libraries to get access to the type
of research collections they needed," said Sherrida Crawford
of Valdosta State University. "Now, with just a few mouse
clicks, they have these books in their hands in only two or
three days."
"This is the product of years of hard work on the part
of the USG libraries' faculty and staff," said the University
of Georgia's Claire Colombo, who is the chair of the GIL Express
Task Force. "We've had a vision that our patrons would
be able to quickly and easily borrow material from across the
system's libraries. GIL Express is the realization of that cooperative
effort."
For more information on GIL Express and the GIL Universal Catalog,
visit http://gil.usg.edu.
October 12 Celebration of Health Education
Network Award
The Coalition of Regional and Academic Libraries invites
you to a reception as Statesboro Regional Library, Magnolia
Coastlands Area Health Education Center (AHEC), and Zach S.
Henderson Library receives the prestigious NCLIS Blue Ribbon
Consumer Health Information Recognition Award for Libraries.
See details.
 Tickets
on Sale for November 12 Fund Raising Musical
"We'll Meet Again"
Organized by Friends of the Zach S. Henderson
Library, "We'll Meet Again" commemorates in words
and song the contributions of the men and women who made up
what newsman Tom Brokaw has called "The Greatest Generation."
The show will take place in the Emma Kelly Theater of the
Averitt Center for the Arts. See more
information and how to purchase tickets for the benefit.
GALILEO Updates
Karen Minton, of the Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO)
Library and Customer Information Services Department, announces
two GALILEO updates:
1. Change in EBSCOhost Access to ERIC Documents
- Effective October 1, 2004 a modification will be made to the
ERIC database offered via EBSCOhost. The change to the EBSCOhost
offering of ERIC is due to the closing of the EDRS (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service/E*Subscribe) on-demand and subscription-based
document delivery service, E*Subscribe, as of September 30,
2004. Over 107,000 full-text non-journal documents (issued 1993-2004),
which historically have been available through E*Subscribe,
will be freely available via the new ERIC website, http://eric.ed.gov.
EBSCO is working with ERIC to ensure that EBSCOhost users accessing
the ERIC database will also have access to these documents via
links.
EBSCO last received an update to the database in July 2004.
They expect the next update to be delivered in December 2004,
after which they expect to receive updates on a monthly basis.
In December 2004, ERIC will also begin adding new bibliographic
records and full-text journal and non-journal resources published
in 2004. ERIC will continue to provide access to the thesaurus
data, and EBSCO will continue to make this data available through
its ERIC offering.
2. Discontinuation of GALILEO's Internet Resources
Guide - A recent study of the condition and usage of
the GALILEO Internet Resources has resulted in the GALILEO steering
committee's decision that presentation and maintenance of the
collection be discontinued. Quality Internet resource collections
should be updated continually using active collection development
practices, but staffing constraints have made it difficult to
keep the GALILEO collection up to date. Alternatives available
to GALILEO users include the web directories maintained by SIRS
in the SKS WebSelect and Discoverer WebFind products and by
EncyclopÊdia Britannica Online. Another source for reviewed
web sites includes the Internet resource collections available
through GALILEO institutions' web pages. ProQuest/SIRS has indicated
they will enhance content areas of SKS WebSelect, currently
available to all GALILEO users, at our request. If you find
subjects not represented there, please contact GALILEO and we
will communicate your suggestions to them.
The Internet Resources pages will remain in production until
January 1, 2005 so that users may bookmark their favorite sites
contained in the directory. A note has been added to the main
page notifying users that the resource is no longer being maintained.
Links to Internet Resource sections within the GALILEO menus
will be redirected to SKS WebSelect until January 1, and then
will be removed from the database menus.
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Replacing
Paper
Like more than one hundred universities in the United States,
Georgia Southern University's Graduate School is moving toward
a system in which theses and dissertations are published in
electronic format only and are available on the Web. Several
graduate students have already submitted their papers in digital
form. Electronic theses and dissertations have a number of advantages
over the old paper format in addition to wide accessibility,
including richer content which allows high-resolution images,
video and audio clips, and the embedding of some databases.
Henderson Library's Dr. Sonya Shepherd is providing help to
those graduate students who may not be proficient in the electronic
formatting demanded by this new dispensation, and the Center
for Excellence in Teaching has classes especially for them.
Already, a few theses (and one dissertation) are available not
on shelves but through the work's online bibliographic record;
each of the catalog records now includes a short abstract and
index terms. A list can be obtained by simply searching "ETD
Georgia Southern" as a keyword string. See an example
of an ETD.
New Approval Plan Location
The Collection and Resource Services Department has been relocated
to Building 803 on Fair Road, the former home of the School
of Nursing, for the duration of the project to expand and renovate
Henderson Library. As part of that relocation, the books received
on the approval plan for possible purchase may now be reviewed
by interested faculty members at Collection and Resource Services'
new home.
Summary of Henderson Library Achievements
1999-2004
See a summary
of our achievements from 1999-2004.
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