Carl Is New And Improved

Two new features have been added to the CARL System as of this academic year. CARL, found as option no. 7 on the Weinberg Memorial Library's Public Access Menu, is a commercial service, now owned by the Knight-Ridder Information, Inc., which allows access to a variety of electronic indexes and services through the Internet. Table of contents searching, keyword, and name searching are just three of the ways that patrons can locate information in over 17,000 scholarly and popular journals. Document delivery in 24 hours or less is also available through CARS service called UnCover. UnCover Express, which is available for a limited number of journal titles, is offered in less than one hour. The Express titles are identified when you pull up a citation to this select set of journals.

 

Newly added this year is the Profile Option in CARL. If you are a frequent user of CARL's document delivery service, you may establish a user profile with your name, e-mail address, fax number, voice phone number, and credit card information. When you order articles for delivery, you need not enter this information repeatedly for each order. You simply type in your seven-digit number and password that are given to you when setting up your profile account. The system will automatically keep your mailing and faxing information in its computer system until you choose to edit it for changes.

 

Another new feature of CARL is the option called UnCover Complete. If you find that a particular article is not indexed in the database when doing a word or name search, you may still order the article by using this new complete option. The feature is especially helpful for finding book reviews or letters to the editor, which are not usually indexed in databases, or for articles published prior to 1987. You must first be sure the journal is indexed by CARL either by checking the CARL binder of indexed titles held at the Reference Desk or by browsing by title on the computerized index itself. Then follow the directions for UnCover Complete found in the menu at the bottom of each screen. Simply type as much of the correct citation as possible; CARL will respond to you with pricing and availability information similar to traditional UnCover ordering. Using your CARL Profile account number will also speed up your ordering.

 

Remember that CARL is available from your terminal in your office or home if you are connecting through the University's network or accessing with a current U. of S. VAX account. Call the Reference Desk at 941-4000 for more information on using CARL.