|
Newsletter 14, March 1997
|
As regular readers will know, I usually start off the editorial
by relating some recent event, often from personal experience,
to a theme or major article in the Newsletter. Well, this time
I was a bit stumped! It was clear from a very early stage that
the major emphasis of this issue was going to be on LSS support
for research, a topic that I knew I would have trouble linking
to.
Although I’m sure that, from time to time, when I’m asked for advice and guidance, it’s from someone who will be using what they learn for use in their research activities, the only concerted research project I’ve been involved with in recent years has been tracing my family tree — and even that’s been dormant for a few years!
But then I thought about it a bit more, and I realized that I do my research on a little-bit-here, little-bit-there basis. Often, I need to do something a bit different that means I have to learn about a new feature of a package, or even a whole new package. Sometimes, one of you asks me a question that I don’t immediately know the answer to, but, being the IBM definition of an expert (i.e., I know where the manual is!), I go away and find out. Sometimes I do, indeed, read the manual — but, more likely these days, perhaps I’ll look it up in the on-line help, or pose the question on a mailing list, or even search out a useful resource on the World-Wide Web.
And here, you see, we are already linking into some of the themes in this issue’s RESEARCH SPECIAL. One of the articles in particular, in fact: the one on Useful Internet Resources. This gives brief details (with links!) of a number of Web sites of potential interest to researchers.
The Special is topped by a few words on Learning Support and Research from Howard Green, Head of Research Development, and tailed by short articles on Computing Services’ support for Data Analysis and on obtaining information about Research in Progress, but the major part of it is concerned with Library Support for Research. Philip Payne’s keynote article tells us how the emphasis has begun to shift From Library Holdings… to Information Access, something that has been helped along by the recent rapid advancement of the Internet, and particularly the World-Wide Web. This is also put into the National Context of the Follett and Anderson Reports.
Finally, some of the other Services and Resources highlighted include Searching Other Libraries’ Catalogues, Reference Access to University Libraries in the Region, the Minibus Service to the British Library, and of course the European Documentation Centre which we are fortunate to be the hosts of.
So much for the important topic of research — but what other important topics have we covered in this mighty tome?
Well, first of all (on the next page, in fact!), John Heap enlightens us on the continuing development of the University Information Strategy. This is both important and interesting, since it seems likely to affect our planning and decision-making in many areas for the foreseeable future.
Also in the foreseeable future — and the quite near future, at that — Computing Services is planning the first major Withdrawal of DOS Software in IT Laboratories, thus marking the end of a 4-year transitional period. Now we must be thinking about the next step, whether it be to Windows 95, Windows NT, Office 97, or whatever!
Other recent transitions, although in much shorter timescale, come in under the Media services headings. All self-access Photocopiers have been replaced and some useful changes have been made to the student copier service. At Beckett Park, meanwhile, the upgrade of James Graham Lecture Theatre C should be finished by the time you read this, and the Audio-Visual Loans Service and Video Editing Suite have both completed moves into the Learning Centre. And the completion of the Staff Email Postoffice moves is recorded under Network & Internet Services.
I could go on in similar vein for several more paragraphs, but as usual I’m running out of space! I’ve hardly mentioned the section on Educational Development News, nor yet the Leeds City Council Web Site review. And then there’s the usual LSS User Group Report and yet more Library Services, not to mention all the small bits and pieces tucked away under Services Update.
And still there’s more — you really will just have to go and find the rest for yourself. Please do make sure you browse through and read all sections of interest.
