Corbis Images for Education is no more …

… for the time being, at least. Thomson Gale no longer offers this product, but we are trying to re-acquire access in some other way. More news as it develops …

Web of Science problems (and a solution)

Many of you will have discovered that the existing link to Web of Science is not working. The database is available, but via a circuitous route. Until we get the link fixed, you can get to it this way:

1. Go to Biological Abstracts.
2. Click on the ‘Select a database’ tab.
3. Click on the Web of Science link

The vendor has been notified, so the regular link should be is fixed now in the next day or so.

UPDATE: the WoS link in the eresources database now works; however, it (and the link for Biological Abstracts and Journal Citation Reports) searches all three databases (i.e., BA, WoS and JCR). In each case, if you want to search only one of the databases, you have to go to the ‘Select a database’ tab and click on the link for the desired database. We are asking ISI if we can have direct links to each database; stay tuned.

Historical Abstracts and America: History & Life available from EBSCOhost

From the vendor:

Dear EBSCO customer,

As previously announced, EBSCO is now the provider of two popular, respected databases originally offered by ABC-CLIO: Historical Abstracts, and America: History & Life. An important part of the transition of these products to EBSCO is the retention of the expert services of ABC-CLIO’s editorial staff, contracted to continue enhancing both databases with updated content. For your convenience, EBSCO will provide access to the databases from its multi-functional, world-renowned EBSCOhost interface, as well as from the original ABC-CLIO platform (through June 2008).

The imminent release of access to these databases from the EBSCOhost interface will include the support of certain functionality available on the ABC-CLIO platform, in addition to the strength of EBSCOhost’s many features. Access to the ABC-CLIO and EBSCOhost platforms will be available from EBSCO’s Select New Service screen (http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=cookie,ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=ahl [ahl represents America: History & Life; for Historical Abstracts, substitute hia for ahl at the end of the URL]). Some of the significant features available from EBSCOhost for Historical Abstracts and America: History & Life will include:

• The Historical Period Limiter: The historical period limiter searches the time span of the event described within the record. Every item is indexed with its relevant historical period, or periods. The EBSCOhost implementation searches the exact historical timeframe displayed in the full record. Additionally, you will notice that the Historical Period content is included in the default Result List.
• Multi-database Searching: EBSCOhost users will be able to select one or several databases from the EBSCOhost Choose Databases screen, including Historical Abstracts and America: History & Life.
• Linking Features: Where possible, links to commercial full text providers such as JSTOR, EBSCO’s Electronic Journals Service (EJS), and Swets, etc., will be handled by EBSCOadmin’s CustomLinks functionality. Those links determined to be freely available (open access) will be retained in the full record.
• Reports & Statistics: EBSCO presents its EBSCOhost interface usage statistics in multiple formats, from standard reports that document usage by site, title, IP address, session, database or interface, etc., to the four most popular COUNTER report formats. EBSCO also provides colorful graphical report choices, useful when presenting statistical information to others. All report options are available to library administrators with access to EBSCOadmin free of charge, and include the ability to view usage information instantly, as well as via ongoing automatic report alerts to administrator-supplied email addresses.
• My EBSCOhost Personalized Folders: EBSCOhost users can create free, personalized folder accounts in which to save individual search results, search histories, persistent links to searches, Search Alerts, Journal Alerts and web pages created using Page Composer, across multiple sessions, for use in future sessions. EBSCO recently enhanced My EBSCOhost to include support of multiple folders, allowing users to sort and efficiently manage results with various, customizable folders.
• Source Type Searching: Users can filter the EBSCOhost Result List by Publication Type. Available options (depending on the content retrieved in a search) include Academic Journals, Magazines, Books, Monographs, Conference Papers and Dissertations.
• Index Browse Fields: EBSCOhost offers additional Index Browse Fields, such as Document Type, ISSN, and Year of Publication.
• User-friendly Print/Email/Save Functionality: EBSCOhost presents users with numerous opportunities to print, email or save search results–from within an open record, the temporary session folder, or the personalized (My EBSCOhost) folder, for example. Customized options are available when users elect to print/email/save results, allowing users to select which fields they want to include.

Globe & Mail and Toronto Star archives

[My apologies for not having sent this note out earlier.]

Some of you will have gotten messages from users, wondering what’s happened to these databases. Due to the buyout of Micromedia by Proquest last year, they’ve finally gotten around to migrating the above databases to the Proquest platform — except they haven’t, really. If you search for either title in the eresources database, you’ll find a note under the link; either

Coverage:
Note: please click on “select multiple databases” then scroll down and click on TORONTO STAR: PAGES OF THE PAST.

or

Coverage:
Note: Please click on “select multiple databases” then scroll down and click on CANADA’S HERITAGE FROM 1844 – THE GLOBE AND MAIL.

What this means is that, once you get to the Proquest login screen, which is either

http://proquest.umi.com/login (on-campus)
or
http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/login (off-campus)

you have to click on the “Select multiple databases” link, then scroll down until you reach the link to the Toronto Star or Globe and Mail. Once you click on these links, you’ll find that the interface for either database is the same as it was before, but this is now the only way to get to it. Proquest states elsewhere on their website that “Please note at this time a custom login directly into the database is not available.” Catherine D is trying to find out how long it might be before a direct login is available.

Those of you who link to either of these databases in your pathfinders or other web pages might want to include a brief note to this effect, to make it a little easier for users.

Current Research @ now called Dissertations and Theses @ York University

Just a note to let you  know that the former “Current Research @” database has been migrated to the ProQuest platform and is now called Dissertations and Theses @ York University.  This change has been reflected on our webpage about finding York Theses at http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/Home/eResources/YorkTheses.htm
Any subject pathfinders will need to be updated as well – the URL remains http://www.library.yorku.ca/eresolver/?id=50620

The webpage mentioned above has also been updated to reflect important expansion of York theses and dissertations available in fulltext.  We now have access to almost all York theses that had been held in the UMI vaults (with the exception of non-microfilmed and embargoed texts) back to 1967.

Catherine

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