From University Librarian Gary E. Strong
I am pleased to announce the impending launch of a pilot version of a replacement for the current Melvyl Catalog. The pilot system grew out of a December 2005 report by a UC systemwide task force, which identified a primary need voiced by users for "a rich pool from which to search, simplicity, and satisfaction." The creation of the task force and the actions that have resulted from its report build on the UC libraries' ongoing efforts to improve discovery and delivery of information to users.
The UC libraries have collaborated with the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) to develop the pilot system, which features a single interface that searches holdings in all UC libraries as well as those of libraries around the world through OCLC's WorldCat. It also searches for article references in education, from journals indexed in ERIC; medicine and health, from journals indexed in MEDLINE; U.S. government publications, from journals indexed in GPO; and general topics, from journals indexed in ArticleFirst. Through UC-eLinks, users can access the full text or print-copy information for journals to which there is a UC subscription. In addition, the pilot's holdings include UC books digitized by Google and materials from the Online Archive of California, UC eScholarship Repository, and UC Press.
Because the process of loading records into the pilot system is extremely complex, most but not all Melvyl records will be available during this testing phase. However, almost all UCLA Library records that are in Melvyl will be in the pilot system's database, except for some electronic monograph titles; this will make the system quite useful to UCLA faculty, staff, and students.
Not in the pilot system are records for resources with minimal cataloging; records from campus affiliated libraries; and records from the California Academy of Sciences, California Historical Society, California State Library, Center for Research Libraries, Graduate Theological Union, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and UC Hastings College of the Law. For these, users should continue to search the current Melvyl Catalog, which will remain accessible throughout the pilot and will continue to be fully updated.
The pilot system's useful features extend beyond with the search interface; the search results display also offers new functionalities. Search results are displayed with UCLA campus records first, then UC records, then records from other libraries worldwide. From the individual records, users can check circulation status, place holds on items at UCLA, and request items held elsewhere, both within the UC system and beyond.
Other features include the ability to easily refine searches, build and share lists of library resources, view personal ratings and reviews of items, export bibliographic citations in multiple formats, and search using several languages. The pilot system will be launched on May 27 and will be available for at least six months, during which project managers will conduct usability testing and gather feedback from users. I encourage you to try the system, and let us know what you think through the feedback link within the system.
