The Libraries are happy to announce that a new version of the OCLC FirstSearch -- the interface to such well-known and frequently-used resources as Applied Science and Technology Abstracts, Basic Biosis, Chemical Abstracts, (Student Edition), EconLit, INSPEC, and PSYCFirst -- is now available, providing even more powerful on-line searching and access to information.
Via FirstSearch, library users can access over 40 databases, including WorldCat, the world's largest and most comprehensive computerized card catalog. A key to FirstSearch's value and uniqueness, WorldCat consists of more than 42 million records, and contains the merged catalogs of libraries around the world, with records for all library resources: books, serials, visual materials, maps, mixed materials, sound recordings, musical scores, and computer files. The database is updated daily on-line, giving libraries and users access to resources that no single library could possess.
Each FirstSearch record displays information indicating if the library owns the particular material, as well as which other libraries own it. This way, library users know if they can find their information in our own library, or if they can request it through the Interlibrary Loan service, which provides our users with access to materials from libraries throughout the world. Designed to make searching easy, yet sophisticated enough for all library users, the new FirstSearch now also features cross-database searching and three levels of searching sophistication, and offers options for users to receive the full text of journal articles.
The service also enables library users to search multiple databases under a single, easy-to-use interface, without requiring any on-line searching experience or computer training. Users can execute simple or in-depth searches, compile comprehensive bibliographies, and locate hard-to-find materials and order them on-line. Full-text documents are available for many databases, and users can view these on-line, print or download them, or choose to receive them via e-mail.
FirstSearch is available from any computer on campus, and also from your home or office. (Note, however, that you will need to supply your RCS userID and password when you access FirstSearch remotely.)
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