Library catalog upgrade completed (mostly)

Wheaton's online library catalog together with the entire I-Share system received an upgrade over the last couple of days, and early indications are that it went relatively smoothly, but with any "upgrade" prepare for some bumps, and surprises (like right now my searches are timing out!). Use the alternate (VUFind) catalog interface if the upgraded system is not performing well.

This upgrade includes a new search interface that attempts to respond to user feedback. Functionality is improved, but the design and presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

A couple of useful features from the previous interface were not ready for today's launch but will reappear eventually, the "repeat search in I-Share" link and the "Text me this call number."

Let us know what you think of the new user-interface. Send your comments to reference@wheaton.edu

Library forced to cut some databases

It will come as no surprise that the Library budget shrank for the coming year. Consequently, we had to sacrifice a few of our online resource subscriptions. The date following the resource title indicates the end of the current subscription period. Note that several will be inaccessible at the end of this month (June). Access them all now still via the library's website.

• Annee Philologique 10/31/09
• Christian Periodical Index 6/30/09
• Lexis/Nexis Congressional 6/30/09
• Lexis/Nexis Statistical 6/30/09
• Encyclopedia Britannica Online 6/30/09
• Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism 12/31/09
• Religious and Theological Abstracts 8/6/09
• Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online 12/31/09
• World Shakespeare Bibliography Online 12/31/09
  

Also, beginning 6/30/09 RILM Abstracts of Music Literature will only be available to 1 simultaneous user.

Send any questions for comments to acquistions@wheaton.edu.

Better Googling. Take it on up!

Google has been around for just over a decade now, and for most of us, it is an integral part of our lives online. But many of us continue to search Google today very much in the same way we did at the start. And perhaps you're satisfied, but take a quick peek at our Guide to Better Googling, and then decide to maintain the status quo or to advance in your searching sophistication.

Also, in case you hadn't yet heard, Google also offers narrower searches of only mainly published academic books and journal articles (Google Scholar) as well as an extensive and growing collection of scanned books (Google Book Project). Try them out, and ask a librarian for more information on Google and other useful search tools and techniques.

By the way, yesterday Microsoft launched its new search engine, Bing. It's gotten some good reviews, but it's unlikely to put any huge dent in Google's majority share in the web search niche. I'm trying Bing out now. I will report back if there's anything remarkable about it.

NEW: Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World

The new Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World has arrived and is now available in Buswell's Reference Collection, RR 909.09767 Ox2e, Rev. ed.

There's one month left of our 6-month trial of the Oxford Islamic Studies Online, which includes...

Nearly 3,500 articles and chapters by leading scholars and specialists, primary source documents with editorial introductions, Learning Resources, and more

Qur'anic studies resources, including two Oxford World's Classics translations of the Qur'an, linked to the first online version of A Concordance of the Qur'an by Hanna Kassis

Timelines covering major events in the Islamic world and corresponding events in general world history for context

Images and Maps provide visual perspectives on global Islam and its historic development