Issue 16

Change to Catalogue Card/MMR order form payments

In response to requests from many of our schools, Curriculum Corporation will no longer require prepayment for records ordered on Catalogue Card and Machine Readable Record order forms. This will be effective from the 1st of April, 1996.

Schools ordering cards or machine readable records on these forms will be provided with a statement of the amount owing at the end of the month.

SCIS LINK/ Voyager comments

With the move from the old SCIS database DOBIS/LIBIS to the new platform Voyager on 5 February 1996, Curriculum Corporation have received a number of comments from users which we would like to address briefly.

SCISLINK (communications software)

• SCISLINK was developed with the intention that Curriculum Corporation could now provide support in the area of communications software for users accessing the SCIS database online. Previously, Curriculum Corporation was unable to provide the necessary support in the area of communications software due to the vast number of packages available.
• SCISLINK is designed and recommended for use on an IBM/IBM compatible computer with a Hard Disk It is possible to load SCISLINK on a network, 4 however it is not designed to be used on more than one computer at a time (i.e. it is not multi-user). When attempting to install SCISLINK onto a network, please note the following points:
  - Users must have the authority to create directories and add programs to the network.
  - Users must alter the SCISLINK pathing directory in the SCISLINK Configuration program ( default setting C: \SCISLINK) to the drive where SCISLINK has been installed.
• SCISLINK is currently only available in IBM format (DOS), however Curriculum Corporation · is in the final stages of testing the Windows version of the software. A Macintosh version of the SCISLINK software has already been developed, but Curriculum Corporation has so far been unable to make contact with the particular company necessary to obtaining a licensing agreement for the additional software needed for the Macintosh version. We are still pursuing the matter.

Please note: both the SCISLINK communications software and Voyager system are capable of using a 286 computer, however we strongly recommend that the best results are achieved from using a 386 or faster machine.

Voyager (the SCIS database)

• Voyager allows schools to access the SCIS database at 14400 baud rate. Even though Voyager does not allow users to chain command, we believe that the increase in speed of access (from 2400 baud maximum on DOBIS to 14400 baud on Voyagerrand the Bulk Order module clearly compensates for the inability to chain command.
• The Bulk Order module allows the user to key in multiple ISBNs (without necessarily committing an order), search the SCIS database, produce a list of titles for those ISBNs with a match and identify those with no match on a single screen.
• Curriculum Corporation has already made a request to have the term ISBN listed on the main search menu of Voyager.
• Curriculum Corporation has already been working on the notion of a brief information screen. This screen will be available shortly and will contain the scrs number, ISBN, title, author and year of publication details. The aim of the brief information screen will be to reduce the number of keystrokes necessary to identify the item in hand and to note the SCIS Order Number for ordering purposes.
• Currently, items which do not match a record (on the SCIS database) enable the user to modify their search term, i.e. alter the existing search term to create a new one. Users believe that the backspacing required to modify the search is a problem and as . such it is currently under review.
• By the week beginning 18 March 1996, the Voyager database will have been 'topped-up' with the most recently catalogued records. This process will continue on a regular basis, ensuring that users have access to up-.to-date information.

Voyager: tips

Quick searching

Voyager lets you search for multiple ISBNs and view the corresponding titles on the one screen, whether you need to order the items or not!

• Select: Bulk Order from the Main Menu, key in the required ISBN numbers (we recommend max. 20 at a time) and press the Ft key to perform the search. Voyager will check your ISBNs against the SCIS database and provide you with a list of items (matched and unmatched) plus a fragment of the matched titles.
• Pressing the F3 key automatically cancels your order: valuable for quick and easy searching of the SCIS database for the purpose of locating SCIS Order numbers.
• Pressing F1 automatically saves your order to a work file for later confirmation.

Logging off

Please ensure that you have correctly logged off the SCIS-Voyager database! Simply turning off your computer (and modem) in the midst of accessing an online database is not a recommended method for disconnecting.

• To correctly log off the SCIS-Voyager database, highlight Goodbye from the Main Menu and press the Ft key. Select the F4 key and then press return when prompted to disconnect. Following this procedure will ensure that you are still not (accidentally) connected to the database and paying for online charges!