Issue 33

1. Cataloguing of websites

Bev Blackwell is Cataloguing Coordinator of Curriculum Materials Information Services at the Education Department of Western Australia. Bev has been responsible for managing the trial of cataloguing websites onto the SCIS database and has recently written a report which will appear in Cataloguing/Database News at <http://www.curriculum.edu.au/scis/ database.him>.

Schools are now able to download catalogue records of websites from the SCIS database after locating the SCIS numbers in SCIS OPAC. Websites can be located by entering 'website' in a keyword search in SCIS OPAC. The SCIS numbers for the sites required for your school can be recorded then entered into SCISWeb. This will enable you to download the catalogue record to import into your library software system. We have received positive feedback from Teacher Librarians who have trialled this. We advise customers to consult user groups or library software system support if they have any queries about importing catalogue records of websites.

2. SCIS Authority Files subscription 2000

Curriculum Corporation will release a new version of the previous product SCIS Subject Headings disk. Please note that this product has been renamed and will be now known as the SCIS Authority Files. We plan to include other authority files at a later stage. This product contains the entire contents of the SCIS database subject authority file and complements the SCIS subject headings. Used within the school's library system the product can quickly enhance subject a ccess to the school's resources by creating references.

The product will be available mid-2000 with order forms to be dispatched to all schools by June. Check our website at <http://www. curriculum.edu.au/scis/catalog/webupdat.htm> for full product details, functional description and order forms. We advise customers to check compatibility with their library software supplier before ordering the product.

3. Curriculum Corporation primary and secondary catalogues online

Information about products available for purchase from Curriculum Corporation can be found at <http://www.curriculum.edu.au/ catalog/catalog.him>. When viewing this website you will notice that we have added the SCIS number to each of these resources. A number of the resources have been reviewed by an independent person, for example, Indonesia Kaleidoscope at <http://www. curriculum.edu.au/cgibin/CC_catsearch. cgi?cmd=full&cat_id=436&slevel=PRI >. These reviews have been added to the USMARC tag 856 subfield u in the catalogue record on the SCIS database. This will be useful when using SCIS OPAC as a selection tool for resource acquisition.

4. Tutorial on using the Internet

On the Access Asia page of the Curriculum Corporation website at <http://www.curriculum. ed u .au/accessas ia/netwo rk/tuto rial/tutorial/ module1/index.htm> there is a tutorial on how to use the Internet. This tutorial would be suitable for use by students and staff.

5. SCIS: assisting schools to manage knowledge

In January 1999, Keith Gove, Manager of Information Services at Curriculum Corporation, delivered a paper at the ASLA Conference in Geelong. The paper, titled SCIS: assisting schools to manage knowledge, has been placed on our website at <http://www. curriculum.edu.au/scis/whatis.htm>.

The paper argues that the role of Teacher Librarian is changing. Like all managers, Teacher Librarians should delegate as much as possible, outsource what is not 'core business', and free themselves to undertake crucial tasks such as teaching and learning. Resource selection is a relevant task, but the cataloguing of those resources is not; it can be largely outsourced. Time spent on this technical activity is time not spent on curriculum, information literacy or other teaching and learning activities.

The paper describes the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) and explains how it simplifies the cataloguing task for Teacher Librarians. The challenges of cataloguing Internet and other digital resources are also addressed.

6. Britannica.com

Curriculum Corporation's website has been nominated by Britannica Online as one of 'The Web's Best Sites' and given a rating of 4 stars (superior). This is an outstanding recommendation to schools worldwide to consider using our products and services.

'Curriculum Corporation Rating: * * * * Australian government initiative for developing curriculum and producing high quality print and electronic resources. Provides links to major projects and products, including the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS), Education Quarterly, and the following comprehensive teaching units: Access Asia, Science Australia, Enterprise Education, and Technology Education. Contains PDF downloads of primary and secondary catalogues and information about OZJAC, a database linking courses to jobs.'