Early in the development of its Internet services, the Houston Public Library (HPL) decided that Internet access from home should be left to the organizations that do it best - the Internet service providers. However, HPL does offer services to home comp uter users with and without Internet connections.
The library provides non-graphical access to its catalog and a number of quality information databases. Besides allowing you to create a list of books and periodicals before coming to the library, you can answer trivia questions and find company address es. In addition, periodical indexes and an online encyclopedia provide enough full-text to complete minor research projects or homework assignments.
Getting There
The HPL catalog and information databases are available in two ways. The first method is a direct dial (Dialcat) to the databases. The Dialcat phone number is 713/247-2244. Set your communications software to 8 bits-1 stop-no parity, ASCII, and 9600Kbps.
Access is also available from the HPL homepage on the Internet. The Houston Public Library homepage address is http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us. At the homepage, click on the Library Catalog button. Next, click on the link “Houston Public Library Catalog.” This will invoke a telnet client if you have one installed in your browser.
How It Works
After you access the databases, the instructions are the same. 1) Type PAC to enter the public access catalog. 2) Enter your terminal type. If you don’t know it, choose #8 hardcopy. 3) Press Enter twice. 4) The introductory menu has five options. Select 1 for the catalogs of area libraries that use the CARL corporation software, 2 for article indexes, 3 for information databases, 4 for catalogs of CARL libraries outside the Houston area, and 5 for library news.
Once you choose a database, one of three commands can be typed at almost any prompt. They are: //W followed by a keyword, to do a keyword search; //N followed by a name, to do a keyword search of names, and //T followed by a title, to retrieve an alphabetical list of titles. Directions for more sophisticated searching tools such as a combination name/word search, truncation, and date limiting are available from the home screens of most databases. Entering a qu estion mark at any prompt will give you screen-specific help.
Sample Search
For example, to find the names of Michael Jordan’s children, try this search in the Magazine Index: 1) From the initial menu screen, choose Current Article Indexes . 2) Choose Magazine Index. 3) Enter your user id (see explanation below) and then your last name. 4) Choose Begin a search in Magazine Index. 5) At the opening menu of Magazine Index, type //Wmichael jordan family. 6) Explore promising articles by entering the article number to get descriptions of the articles; press enter to go back if an article isn’t helpful. The answer may be found in the full-text of an article entitled “Celebrity Baby Boom.” 7) To get to the full-text, enter D to display the online text and then O to begin the online text. 9) To quit viewing online text, enter q, a useful command for quitting most processes while using the CARL databases.
Answers to FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)
The library catalogs, the HPL Community Organizations and Ready Reference Databases, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, and ERIC are free. HPL pays for subscriptions to the other databases and requires that you have a library card to use them. B efore using any of these databases, you will be prompted for your user id (your library card number) and last name. City of Houston residents may get a free library card at their nearest branch. Nonresidents may purchase a library card for $20 for six mo nths or $40 for a year.
Many of the subscription databases are housed on computers in other states. When you are using these databases, type //EXIT to return home to the HPL computer before switching to another database.
If you choose the S for SWITCH command without returning home, your library card will not be valid for the next database.
On the other hand, if //EXIT is not a working command, you are using a database in HPL’s computer. In this case, use the S for switch command rather than //EXIT.
Some of the Databases
Houston Public Library Catalog contains the library’s holdings. Call the branch and verify a book’s availability before coming to the library. Holdings at locations TXR, GOV, and CLA and items with call numbers that start with R may not be checked out of the library. Check under libra ry news for branch locations and phone numbers. Sample search: //Tmidnight in the garden of good and evil .
UnCover indexes the table of contents of thousands of periodicals back to 1988. Uncover, Inc. provides document delivery of most of the articles by fax or e-mail for a fee. Sample search: //N henry louis gates.
Magazine Index and Business Index contain current citations to popular, current affairs, and business periodicals. Some full-text articles are available. Sample search: //Wnasa contracts.
Company Profiles is a directory of more than 100,000 private and public companies. Sample search: //Whouston computer.
The Houston Chronicle Newspaper is a full-text database of the newspaper back to 1994. Author, title, date, section and lead paragraph are indexed . Sample search: //Wkim son.
Grolier’s Academic American Encyclopedia is a regularly updated, full-text equivalent of the 20 volume encyclopedia without graphics. Sample search: //wdinosaurs.
By 1998, HPL hopes to have a web version of the catalog and information databases for home users. Our ultimate goal is to help Houston’s computer users find the best information in the easiest way possible. We encourage your suggestions and questions to website@hpl.lib.tx.us or 713/236-1313.
Judith Hiott is a librarian in the Social Sciences Department at Houston Public Library’s Central Library.
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.
Back to the Magazine Home Page
Last modified: 1997:09:30