Volume 2. No 1 
Information Technology News of the University of California, Davis October 1993
Going to the Library Online
by Catherine Curran, Planning, Strategy & Administration
Some important keys to using the library are now available on the
UCD Campuswide Information System (CWIS). By accessing the CWIS,
you can retrieve information ranging from library hours to
library workshops and obtain access to MELVYL, the online card
catalog for all University of California libraries.
Reaching the Library Online
You can access MELVYL directly from a library terminal or use
gopher to access the data from your terminal at home or office.
[For more information on Gopher, see From the CWIS Administrator:
Gopher (Go for) the CWIS! in the CWIS, Lately column on page 7.]
To access the CWIS using the gopher program on Information
Technology UNIX machines, follow these steps:
- After your normal login, type gopher (pressing the
RETURN or ENTER key to execute).
- When the top-level menu of choices appears, type 6 (for
Libraries).
- Then type 2 and 2 again for the MELVYL system. Or, make
other selections under the Libraries menu to reach the
information you wish.
Library Training and Workshops
Throughout the year, the library gives workshops on using MELVYL.
Dates, times and workshop descriptions are found on the CWIS.
Among the many workshop topics are "Useful Knowledge and
Techniques for Working Efficiently in the MELVYL Library System,"
"Finding Journal Articles in Current Contents," and "Management
of Bibliographies and Reprint Files." To sign up for a workshop,
send electronic mail to klfirestein@ucdavis.edu. (Note: Exact
workshop hours are subject to change.)
Databases on MELVYL
Using the MELVYL system provides instant access to a wealth of
information. In addition to information on what's to be found in
University libraries, MELVYL provides access to many other
databases.
Databases currently mounted on MELVYL include:
- MAGS: Magazines & Journals: Expanded Academic Index
to 1,500 general interest and scholarly magazines and journals
from 1988 to the present.
- NEWS: Newspaper Articles: Index to major US
newspapers from 1982 to the present, including Christian Science
Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Wall Street
Journal, Washington Post.
- CC: Current Contents: Index and tables of
contents for 6,500 scholarly journals in all fields, 1989-
- INS: INSPEC: Index and abstracts for 4,000
physics, electronic and computing journals, conference
proceedings, books, etc., 1969 to the present.