Action for Libraries

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( [ACTION FOR LIBRARIES I ' , ' , '
311186 0018 72750 rCR NETWORK NEWS
Bibliographical Center for Researche Volume XXIII, No 9, September 1997 e ISSN: 0363·0250
Publish Your Library's Local Database
Digitallywith SilverPlatter's ERL Technology
Do"'i your library have its own database describing
local historical photographs, or perhaps an index of
local obituaI"ies or articles from your local newspaper?
Or maybe you haye an index to your university ar­chives
or special collection you'd like to share. Your
local database, however, probably remains in pap~r for­mat
Of, at best, exists as-a fixed-field, generic archive of
records, inc'anv.enient for you or you~ patrons ,to ac­cess
and difficult to search.
"Now you can 'publish your local databases electroni­cally
SO they are readily accessible and easy to .search
by your patrons, and witho;'t tying up library staff
time. Through SilverPlatter Information's Partner
Publishing program, BCR can take your local data­bases,
convert them to digital format and mOll.Dt them
on CD~ROM, the Internet or the World Wide We\).
BCR even can host your ne~ly published databases
for you on its own ERL server.
You and your patrons can access and search your data­bases
using the,same,familiar searchcand-retrieval soft­ware
you use everyday to access SilverPlatter's other
ERL databases, SilverPlatter's SPIRS software. Multi­ple
users have simultan-eous access to the information, .
. rather than each having to wait for ~ turn on the C!ne
PC that has the information on its hard drive,
"The real virtues of Partner Publishing are, its flexibil­ity
and intuitive search interface," said Elle-n Fox,
BCR's Research,& Development project ';'anager."If
you really want to include such enhancements as a
'notes' field or combine your descriptorfieldswith
free-text searching, you can.
"Searchers generally don~t need any special training for
the SPIRS client," she added, "Often they've seen it'be­fore,
and even if they haven't it's very simple to_under.­stand.
SilverPlatter has really worked hard to make its
"data-easy to access."
So let BCR do it all for you. Convert your local data- '
bases to electronicJormat) mount" them and host them
on BCR's ERL server. BCR's staff will work with
you, too; to design" and create a web page for your
, library to function as a lead-in to your local databases,
Partner Publishing provides' numerous valuable bene­fits
to your library:
Continued on page 2
," B.CR's Partner Publishing Fall library Conferences Set
OClC Update 2 Workshop Calendar
Intenlet Copyright Teleconference 4 In Reference ...
IOUG Annual Conference 4 C[]·ROM Group Purchase
Preservation Workshop 5 library Billboard
Two Join BCR Staff 6
Visit BCR's home page at www.bcr.org
Subscrib~ to the bcr-llistserv at majordomo@bcr.org
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A Non p r"of it, M u I t ista-te lib ra ry S e rvic es Coo p e rati ve