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SCIS as a resource selection aid
By Nicole Richardson
Issue 104, Term 1 2018
students to use the library catalogue based on its inclusion of trusted, credible and educational resources, why not use a catalogue ourselves? The SCIS catalogue contains over 1.5 million resources; it is a comprehensive, diverse database of educationally focused resources, spanning various publi
How are you using SCIS?
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 102, Term 3 2017
We collect quite a few statistics at SCIS. Besides enabling us to remain accountable within our broader organisation, our statistics inform our cataloguing practices, and help us seek out new services or make improvements to our current operations. For example, our search logs may show us that ther
40 years of SCIS
By Article by the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS)
Issue 131, Term 4, 2024
Forty years ago, the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) was born out of a need to support library staff in their role of bringing order and accessibility to educational resources. This year SCIS celebrates four decades of innovation and service. Today, SCIS serves almost 80 per cent of
SCIS is more
By Caroline Ramsden
Issue 108, Term 1 2019
Welcome to the first issue of Connections for 2019! Last November, SCIS welcomed Renate Beilharz as the new cataloguing team leader. Many of you will be familiar with Renate’s work in the field of cataloguing standards and education for the school library sector. We are very excited to have Ren
SCIS is more
By Caroline Ramsden
Issue 107, Term 4 2018
Welcome to issue 107 of Connections ! Authorities Authorities are a very important part of SCIS record creation. Libraries that subscribe to SCIS authorities can download the SCIS Authority Files, and import them to use in their catalogues. An authority record is the authorised form of a hea
SCIS is more
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 93, Term 2 2015
Most SCISWeb subscribers obtain SCIS records by visiting the SCISWeb Orders page to download MARC data files. However, increasingly our subscribers are downloading records by searching from within their Library Management System (LMS). This method is usually referred to as 'Z39.50', 'Z cataloguing'
SCIS is more
By Caroline Ramsden
Issue 111, Term 4 2019
2019 is racing along — welcome to Issue 111 of Connections ! SCIS Data as a selection tool Many of you are now using either Z39.50 or the SCIS API to import records from SCIS Data into your library management systems. This seamless and efficient workflow has many benefits for users. SCIS als
SCIS is more
By Dr Ben Chadwick
Issue 121, Term 2 2022
nd possibly series titles. But these pieces of information do not contain any context. That’s where Authority Files come in. Authority Files are a SCIS product that can be imported into your library system to provide context around authors, subjects and series titles. This crucial network of info
SCIS is more
By Caroline Ramsden
Issue 109, Term 2 2019
Welcome to issue 109 of Connections ! Have you caught up with all of the new features that we added to the SCIS service in 2018? It was a busy year. Diacritics in SCIS records Last year, SCIS began including diacritics in new catalogue records. Diacritics are marks above or below a letter th
From the desk of a SCIS cataloguer
By Mavis Heffernan
Issue 95, Term 4 2015
The SCIS cataloguing team regularly source, receive, and catalogue a range of print and electronic resources suitable for use in school libraries. Electronic resources include websites, apps, and ebooks, and are available for SCIS subscribers as easily downloadable files using the Special Order Fil
SCIS is more
By Renate Beilharz
Issue 122, Term 3 2022
‘The Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) creates high-quality, consistent catalogue records for school libraries.’ The quote above introduces SCIS to all those who use our website. High quality means that we adhere to international cataloguing standards, ensuring SCIS records are compat
SCIS is more
By Caroline Ramsden
Issue 110, Term 3 2019
since Issue 96, and gave the magazine a complete new look from Issue 103. She also arranged the digitising of all the back issues, now available at scisdata.com/connections . Thank you, Nicole! As always, we welcome submissions to Connections from both first-time and experienced writers. It is a
SCIS is more
By Ben Chadwick
Issue 97, Term 2 2016
Welcome to Connections 97. It is a pleasure to introduce a new face in the SCIS team. In March we welcomed Doreen Sullivan to our cataloguing team in Melbourne. Doreen came to us with a long career in cataloguing, including work at RMIT and DA Direct. I’d like to thank our editor Nicole Richa
SCIS is more
By Anthony Shaw
Issue 123, Term 4 2022
and ethical participants in society.’ (IFLA School Library Guideline, 2nd ed.) These are the drivers that drew me to the role of Product Manager with SCIS. I started this new role in the depths of a Melbourne winter during the latest COVID spike, working in a hybrid environment after more than fou
SCIS is more
By Dr Ben Chadwick
Issue 113, Term 2 2020
ng continuity in learning, literacy, research and the world of the imagination. This is the silver lining we have seen during these trying times, and SCIS is very proud to be part of this passionate and vital school library community. Many things are changing for SCIS, too. During the pandemic we
Why SCIS prefers to catalogue with item in hand
By Doreen Sullivan
Issue 98, Term 3 2016
So you have an item you’d like catalogued — maybe it’s a book complete with an ISBN. That makes it easy to track down information for it, so SCIS should be able to catalogue it without seeing the physical item or digital file, surely? But SCIS has a preference to catalogue from the original, and yo
Cover images and SCIS
By Renate Beilharz
Issue 109, Term 2 2019
ring cover images to schools as part of their subscription since 2008. This article explains how school library staff can use these without breaching SCIS Terms of Use. Cover images Text-only catalogue displays have become a thing of the past. While the old adage ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover
SCIS is more
By Carmen Eastman
Issue 112, Term 1 2020
nections! We are looking forward to another busy year – look out for upcoming professional learning sessions and webinars . We love talking with the SCIS community! When we are out and about at conferences, or in SCIS workshops, we are often asked about SCIS Authority Files, and how they can impr
SCIS is more
By Caroline Hartley
Issue 114, Term 3 2020
Welcome to another edition of Connections and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I have recently joined the SCIS team and have an extensive background working in educational and library technologies, e-learning, publishing and educational services across K–12 and higher educatio
New and revised SCIS subject headings
By Renate Beilharz
Issue 128, Term 1 2024
The following changes to SCIS Subject Headings List were approved by the SCIS Standards Committee November 2022 – October 2023. Key BT – Broader term NT – Narrower term RT – Related term UF – Used for SN – Scope note SEN – Special example note In – Indexing note