UC Libraries Launch Pilot of Melvyl Catalog Replacement

The University of California (UC) libraries have launched a pilot version of a replacement for the current Melvyl Catalog, which contains records for holdings at all 10 UC campuses. UCSF library users are encouraged to test the pilot, called Melvyl@UCSF, and to offer feedback on how well it meets their needs. The UCSF version is available. Melvyl lovers should have no fear: The current Melvyl Catalog will continue to be available throughout the pilot period here. The pilot period runs through the end of November 2008. The pilot version features a single interface that searches holdings in all UC libraries and those of libraries around the world, as well as UC books digitized by Google. It also searches for article references in education (from journals indexed in ERIC), medicine and health (from journals indexed in Medline), US government publications (from journals indexed in GPO), and general topics (from journals indexed in ArticleFirst). UC-eLinks can then be used to access the full text or print-copy information in journals for which there is a UC subscription. With this database, users can also read and write reviews of books, and share their favorite results with colleagues and peers on sites like Facebook. Users are asked to please share feedback about the Melvyl@UCSF by completing the survey.