Electronic Core Collection Update

The California State University's Electronic Core Collection (ECC) includes online resources providing systemwide access to information supporting teaching, learning, and research at the 23 campuses of the CSU. Faculty, students, and staff rely heavily on these core library resources, performing millions of searches each year. The ECC was significantly expanded this year, and now comprises over 40 databases and over 25,000 full text titles covering the Arts and Humanities, Life and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Professional Programs (Business and Public Administration, Computer Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Nursing). For a list of ECC resources, visit the Systemwide Electronic Information Resources website and select "Current Resources Included in the ECC" (.xls).

Resources added to the Electronic Core Collection since January 1, 2007 include:

• American Chemical Society Web Editions and the ACS Legacy Archives (covering all titles, volumes, and issues published by ACS from 1879 forward)
• American Chemical Society Chemical and Engineering News
• American Institute of Physics Journals Online
• Communication and Mass Media Complete
• GenderWatch
• Grove's Dictionary of Art
• Grove's Dictionary of Music
• JSTOR: Biological Sciences
• JSTOR: Health & General Sciences
• MathSciNet
• Mergent Online
• Philosopher's Index
• Project Muse Premium Collection
• PsycARTICLES
• Social Services Abstracts
• Sociological Abstracts
• Springer Online Journals and Historical Backfile (covering access to subscribed journals from Volume 1, Issue 1 forward)

Metalib: A Custom Metasearch System that Adds Value for the Campus Community

We've known it for some time now: in the age of Google and Amazon, users expect information resources to be easy to use. Although academic libraries can offer students and faculty access to an unparalleled collection of scholarly resource both in print and online, numerous studies have shown that users find the library—with its half-dozen local systems and hundreds of disconnected databases—simply too difficult to use.

Libraries are not without tools to make things easier, however. Metasearch systems can greatly simplify access to many of the library's resources by giving users the ability to select and search multiple library databases simultaneously. Metalib, the metasearch application in use in the CSU since 2003, can broadcast a user's query to a group of remote databases, translating the query into the appropriate protocol and syntax for each resource. Metalib then retrieves and merges the top results from each database, presenting them to the user with options to sort the records by relevance, date, author, or title. Users appreciate the timesavings reaped from such a system, as well as the advantages of having to only learn one interface.

To get the most out of Metalib, CSU libraries have been at the forefront of designing and developing custom metasearch systems. Using Metalib's application programming interface, known as the X-Server, the Chancellor's Office and a number of campuses have developed new systems that greatly improve on the standard Metalib interface. This allows us to not only make Metalib easier to use, but also allows us to build in new functionality, such as spell checking queries or flagging peer-reviewed articles.

CSU libraries are now using these applications to drive their database lists and seamlessly add metasearch capabilities to their existing websites. The Chancellor's Office is looking to leverage this technology to create an ambitious systemwide table of contents alerting service, as well as use it as the centerpiece in the integration of library and learning management systems.

As libraries compete for student and faculty attention amidst a dynamic and competitive information landscape, metasearch systems can provide that simple entry point users expect to find when first searching the library. Custom metasearch systems can add extra value to metasearch results, while making metasearch systems easier to use.