By Jean Cleveland
jclevela@uga.edu
In Joan Conger’s lexicon, “library” is an action verb.
“The library is no longer just a place,” Conger says. “This is the philosophy underlying our  online access and our growing remote access.”
In the new position of database performance and assessment librarian for the UGA Libraries, Conger is responsible for troubleshooting problems with access to electronic journals. Earlier this year, the UGA Libraries integrated all of its electronic subscriptions with the online databases already available through Galileo, the University System of Georgia initiative to create a statewide electronic library.
Now a UGA user can log into Galileo with a password which recognizes UGA users (available through the GIL user account) and access these databases, in many cases, both on- and off-campus.
“There are about 300 database subscriptions currently available, which is just phenomenal,” Conger says. “Most colleges and universities cannot afford that many on their own. Our list is growing, and many allow access to full-text journals, articles, books or reference works. You can access these resources as if you were standing in a library.”
These databases allow keyword searching of both popular and scholarly works, but lesser-known choices allow the researcher to:
• Find citations to the best books on a subject through a “WorldCat” search of the libraries of the world.
• Make savvy investments by accessing the expertise of analysts and journalists in “ABI-Inform” and “Dow Jones Interactive,” get a comprehensive picture of the economy in “Statistical Universe” from Lexis Nexis and find the true health of publicly held companies in “Global Access.”
• Access the work of Georgia state agencies through “Georgia Government Publications,” find information on the General Assembly in “Georgia Legislative Documents” and read commentary on the whole show in Bill Shipp’s Georgia, a weekly newsletter on government and business.
UGA pays for about 100 of the database subscriptions accessed through Galileo; the rest are provided to the university community with Galileo funds.
Initially, access is being provided from anywhere on campus--offices, labs and eventually residence halls--but off-campus access will be available in the future.
“We are working very hard to expand on-campus access to include remote access,” Conger says. “Galileo allows us to seamlessly provide that access without researchers having to know a username or password for each database.”
In the meantime, a growing number of the UGA-provided databases can be accessed from remote locations. In order to provide this access, contracts with each publisher must be re-negotiated.
“The researcher needs the fewest number of clicks possible and Galileo provides that while guaranteeing the publisher or vendor that the users are authorized,” Conger says. “That’s why it’s important for us that the potential off-campus researcher first retrieve a Galileo password from GIL.”
Two periodical databases central to Galileo are Proquest and Ebscohost.
“These databases alone provide keyword access to the full text of articles in more than 5,300 journals and magazines covering a wide range of subjects,” Conger says. “This number is comparable with the holdings of most small college libraries in the United States. These resources allow our students to get into scholarly works and not have to rely on ‘questionable’ information on the Internet. You get two different results when you ‘library’ and when you ‘Yahoo.’ ”
Reference librarians are available to help with research at all levels, Conger says. The reference desks are staffed during library hours with librarians who are ready to provide assistance on a walk-up basis. Patrons can also schedule conferences with reference librarians for help with research strategies.
“Reference librarians are your research experts,” Conger says. “Most people wouldn’t build a house without consulting an architect. Our vocation is helping people with their research. Seeing that list of 300 databases should not be daunting. A librarian is always there to help.” |
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