Summary
This is a web-based interface for the Chemical Reference
Sources Database. Originally developed as a supplement to a text
book,
Chemical Information Sources,
it has grown over the past four years in the IU Chemistry Library
to include more than 2500 records. Given the potential usefulness of the
information contained within the database, both to patrons and
to library staff, it was deemed worthwhile to enhance the usability
of this Organizational Information Resource by porting the data
to the newly installed Microsoft Access DBMS and to create a GUI
browser-based interface for easier querying.
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Information
The CRSD was originally developed as a supplement to Dr.
Wiggins' text Chemical Information Sources. It includes all
reference works in the Indiana University Chemistry Library
collection as well as some resources from Purdue University,
the University of Illinois, and the University of Michigan.
This was supplemented with some further reference works, including
both print and online databases, as well as software of general
interest to chemists. (Wiggins, 1991)
The CRSD has grown over the past four years as data has been
added both from general reference publications and from additions
to the holdings of the chemistry library.
Currently, there are 2539 records in the database covering such diverse
topics as organic synthesis, chemical dictionaries, database guides, and chemical safety, as
well as many others. Each record contains bibliographic data, indexing,
and additional information about each document.
This information can be used to find reference sources
in any area of chemistry through title, author, or keyword
searches. Included in the results of such a search is whether
or not the document is included in the IU Chemistry Library collection.
The information contained in this database could be of great
value to chemistry workers and students in finding texts on areas
of research and study. Unfortunately, due to constraints of
access (local machines in the chemistry library) and difficulty
with interface, use of this database has been very limited. The
hope is that this move to a web interface, allowing networked
access from anywhere with the familiar GUI browser interface, will
expand the CRSD's utility primarily to IU Library patrons, and
perhaps even those beyond the walls of the university.
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Information Technology
The information is stored in a Microsoft Access database
version 7.0 on a Pentium 133. It was originally a DOS-based
ProCite database containing 45 fields. The information was
successfully exported in comma-delimited format to a text file
and imported into Access. There were several reasons for choosing
this DBMS: first, it is a relational environment, so further
development of the database can move away from the restrictive
flat-file system in which it had previously been stored. Second,
Access is becoming a standard database on library computers at IU,
so staff would encounter a familiar piece of software when working
with the database itself. Third, given the influence Microsoft
has in the marketplace, it seemed likely at the outset of the project
that there would be a compatible server and API to establish a web
interface.
The server chosen for this demo was O'Reilly's WebSite 1.1e.
This is a well-known PC-based server software, highly regarded by
networking experts, stable, and, most importantly, free to academic
users.
The API that allows the server to communicate with the Access database
is ColdFusion 2.0. This is also a widely used and highly-regarded
piece of software. Most importantly, it is compatible with WebSite.
While there are specialized programs, or "wizards," designed to
aid in the creation of the web interface pages, this is a very restrictive
method to use. Thus, the documentation was analyzed and the pages
created 'longhand.'
Queries are run as Cold-Fusion-mediated SQL [Structured Query
Language]. The browser accesses the web pages stored on the PC
in the chemistry library. Search terms entered on the forms are processed
through CFML [ColdFusion Markup Language] as a function within the
code of the results page. This is actually sent from the server to
ColdFusion, which queries the database itself. The query result is
then returned to the server in a form that can be processed as HTML/CFML,
yielding the results page in the user's browser.
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People
There are two primary classes of users of this database
within the organizational context. First, there are staff members.
Their roles are, first, to assist patrons in reference questions, and,
second, to input data into the DB. Library patrons are the second
major class of users. The library exists to serve these users;
any aid which will further their research or study enhances the value of
the library. Note that the information needs of these two user groups are
different, and consequently there are two layers of information (a simple and
a detailed level of display), as noted in the
help file.
There is an additional class of users outside of the IU chemistry
department, outside of the boundaries of the organization. This is the
rapidly growing electronic community
of chemists, those researchers tied into the internet and its myriad chemical
resources. Although this goes beyond the function of this database
as an Organizational Information Resource, any collateral aid to this
broader community of scholars is only to the betterment of the collective
pursuit of knowledge.
[Note, 7/31/97: Cold Fusion 3.0 Workgroup Edition was installed over CF 2.0. Unfortunatly, this
newer version does not run efficiently with the free O'Reilly's Website 1.1e.
We therefore switched to Microsoft Personal Web Server, which is also free.]
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Organizational Context
This database can play an important role in the broader organizational context.
By bringing to any desktop the resources of an indexed chemical reference field,
it heightens the potential role of the library and its assets with regard to the
patrons. This is a significant furtherance of the the primary mission of the
library.
Further, it aids the staff workers who must update the database. With the easy,
platform- and computer-independent data entry client, updating the reference
source database becomes a much simpler task. In the past, each version on each
computer had to be updated; there were sometimes questions of whether they all
had the same version, whether they were all up to date. The consistancy of data
afforded by data centralization will ease the burden on the library support staff.
As this resource becomes better known to the users, both staff and patrons, there
is a potential for a change in the dynamic of the library. First, with the resources
easily available from anywhere, potential patrons may feel more comfortable with
reference questions pursued from the office, obviating the need to come to the physical
space of the library. Second, with this tool joining others online, there may be a further
heightening of awareness of online resources in general, and for local library
resources online in particular, encouraging use of similar distance-independent search processes
at the expense of those more traditional, paper-bound ones.
Additionally, this electronic window
to the reference librarian may encourage distance/electronic inquiry, lessening
face-to-face contact with patrons. While this has the potential to diminish the
collegiality of the academic pursuit, the easing of distance constraints also
has the potential to broaden the electronic community engaged in this research endeavor.
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