Reprint from Collections & Connections
Spring 1997, Vol. 1, No. 2

The Kentucky Library Network (KLN), a consortium of public, special, school and academic libraries throughout the state, has helped libraries, WKU included, make it possible to access thirteen different electronic databases from library, office, microlab, or home. The service, called FirstSearch, is made available through OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.), a pioneer in library automation services. These FirstSearch databases can be reached by either World Wide Web or telnet connection (depending on whether one prefers to use a graphical interface or not). The WKU student, staff, or faculty member need only know the authorization number and the password to gain access to these databases.

Among the thirteen databases included are the very popular education database, ERIC, as well as several useful health sciences indexes, MEDLINE and CINAHL. EBSCO MasterFILE, which covers 2400 different journals, and FastDoc include many full text articles. ArticleFirst, a broad database of 12,500 journals, is an excellent database for doing general searching. The MLA Bibliography is available as well and provides access to over a million citations, from 1963 to the present, in the area of literature and the humanities. ContentsFirst contains the complete table of contents from more than 12,000 journals since 1990 and can be searched by journal title or topic.

Two of the Firstsearch databases, PapersFirst and ProceedingsFirst, contain citations of papers presented at conferences, congresses, workshops and symposia all over the world. The GPO Monthly Catalog is also available on FirstSearch for easier access to more than a half a million government publications. NetFirst, an innovative database, offers a way to discover the better quality sites from the internet and can be searched by topic. WorldCat allows one to search for an elusive book by topic by providing access to 32 million cataloging records of more than 22,000 libraries around the world.

~ Beth Knight

As a public service to the community, the University Libraries and the Kentucky Museum are maintaining a Bowling Green - Warren County Bicentennial Celebration web site. The online celebration has been designated the "Official Bicentennial Home Page" by the Bicentennial Commission. The site was activated in conjunction with the opening of the Kentucky Museum's bicentennial exhibit on March 1, 1997. Join the online festivities at http://www.wku.edu/Library/200Years

Visit the web site to learn about the history of Bowling Green and Warren County, follow the bicentennial festivities through the calendar of events, trace the activities of the Bicentennial Commission, or submit a proposal for an official bicentennial activity for your organization by using the online form. Future plans include transforming the calendar of events into an online scrapbook, adding virtual walking and driving tours, and expanding the current and historical information.

If you are interested in contributing to the content of the web site, contact Cindy Etkin, the Bicentennial Web Site Coordinator, at 502-745-6441 or Cindy.Etkin@wku.edu.

~ Cindy Etkin

The WKU Glasgow campus site opened the doors of its new microlab at the beginning of this semester. The lab, which contains more than 20 windows based computers, will allow students to both write their papers and to access all the same databases which are available at the main campus. This lab, situated near the Glasgow Campus Library and the Glasgow Campus Interactive TV room, will make it easier for students to do their research without having to travel to Bowling Green. The microlab will be used to hold classes as well as provide a place for students to do research. Students can still request books and articles to be sent back and forth between the Glasgow and Bowling Green campuses via the biweekly courier.

~ Beth Knight