Renovations of User Centered Services for the Curtis Law Library at Missouri University of Science and Technology

The Curtis Law Wilson Library produces a newsletter every month called the Data Miner. http://library.mst.edu/

The September 2008 newsletter describes these new additions more extensively for further reading.

This library has two important changes that have occured within the last three years to improve its user centered services to its students:

1. SFX Makes Finding Journal Articles Easier.

Students are now able to access materials much more successfully due to new software that has been added to the database.  The software is called SFX - a link resolver. This software allows users to more easily find full text electronic journal articles, including articles available in full text in the library’s many databases.  This software makes it possible for patrons to simultaneously search multiple databases, allowing them to find information on a subject more quickly and easily.

The SFX link resolver is software that links search results to sources that will satisfy the user’s information needs, including the electronic full text of the articles, the library catalog or interlibrary loan.  The MetaSearch allows users to search several of the library’s databases and the MERLIN library catalog simultaneously.  The results from multiple sources are presented as a single list and ranked by significance.  

The ability to find journals easily is always on a student’s mind. This new software sounds promising to the student’s of Missouri.  Perhaps SFX software finally master’s the term/keyword searching that is used when students do researching online.  This new software is indeed a great idea if in fact it does deliver on its promises.  Every university or college campus should have one. 

2. Engineering Index Back file.  One of the library’s databases is now able to access back files allowing researchers to access older scholarly literature in the fields of engineering.


Covering the years from 1884 to 1969, Engineering Index Backfile allows users to discover articles related to the fundamentals of engineering and its significant innovations.  Searching the backfile makes it possible to find literature that might have previously been overlooked.  Here are two examples of materials that can be found using this database:  1.) an illustration article from 1896 on the planned Brooklyn Bridge (Iron Age, September 24) and 2.) Orville and Wilbur Wright’s description of their experiments at Kitty Hawk (Scientific America, June 13, 1908).

 

I wonder what Engineering students did before to find backfiles of information?  This new addition is great for the engineering students and faculty.  The importance of having the ability to acquire this older scholarly literature will indeed help students with innovations and help not to repeat or enhance some of the experiments for their future endeavors.  Perhaps the budget allowed for this increase in resources at MST but overall it’s a good one for all.