Library gets a facelift

by Alison Briant staff writer

Technological advancements have arrived at the Holy Spirit Library.

The days when finding a journal article for a term paper meant starting your research months in advance because of the time it took to transfer it from one library to Cabrini's are over.

Now, thanks to an upgrade in software, new organization within the catalog, improved access to the databases on the network and the new addition of the library web page, those days are over.

The Inter-Library loan program, a way for the library to provide an article from a journal it does not carry from another library, will no longer rely on snail-mail for transportation. "Ariel" is the name of the new software tool Cabrini has acquired that scans the requested article and sends it via the Internet at the time of the request.

The purchase of this software and the scanner was made possible through a grant from the TriState College Library Cooperative.

"We are one of the few schools "" in the area using this new loan system. As the number of schools that use it increases, the convenience to Cabrini students will as well," Dr. Bobbi Jacquet said.

The library databases have moved from CD-ROM access at limited workstations to full availability on the Cabrini network from any library computer. Some accessible databases include Lexis-Nexis, PsycLIT, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the newly organized Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC).

The staff of the library devoted much of their time to barcoding, cataloging and uploading over 750 professional journals and 400,000 documents to the Cavalog for the primary database for education. The staff is most proud of the installation of their own web page.

Strides have been taken in improving the library to make it more convenient for students and more technologically up-to-date.

"We continue to investigate the purchase of additional electronic resources;· Jacquet said.