Electronic Information Resource Center Opens in Lauinger Library

The Electronic Information Resource Center, housed in a new room on the second floor of Lauinger Library, opened on June 6. The Center is designed to provide access to electronic information resources and to multimedia publications, and to permit the creation of multimedia materials.

Q: Why do we need this new center?

A: The need for student and faculty access to scholarly electronic information continues to rise. The Lauinger and Blommer Science Libraries have markedly increased the number of online catalog and Blommer Information Center workstations, which provide CD-ROM databases, during the last year. Yet there remains an unmet need for workstations at peak times. In addition, because of the demand for the limited number of workstations, the libraries have been unable to make other new electronic resources available. Access to electronic information is necessary for academic excellence today. The new Electronic Information Resource Center will allow the libraries to meet the need and demand for electronic information.

Q: How many computers are available?

A: The Center has 29 microcomputers, each with a printer and CD-ROM drive attached. Each workstation is on a Local Area Network which connects to a variety of resources located both inside and outside the library. The Picchi Multimedia Room, located in the Center, debuted with four workstations capable of creating and viewing original as well as published multimedia productions. Multimedia allows the user to combine text, graphics, animation, full motion video, voice, and music in computer-controlled applications. What distinguishes current multimedia from earlier film or videotaphed manifestations is the interactivity possible using a computer. Multimedia has the potential of becoming an exciting, effective new method for teaching and learning.

Q: What electronic resources can students and faculty use?

A: The Center provides students and faculty with a variety of computer applications and connectivity to local and worldwide electronic information networks. The Center permits access to:

• George, our online catalog. George includes the holdings of Lauinger, the Science Library and the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature
• the online catalogs of Georgetown University's Williams Law Library and Dahlgren Library at the Medical Center
• the online catalogs of the Library of Congress, Washington area university libraries, and other libraries around the world
• the Blommer Information Center, providing access to a variety of resources on CD-ROM
• electronic texts with accompanying textual analysis software for the works of Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Hegel, among others
• electronic journals
• electronic resources located around the world and accessible via the Internet
• published multimedia resources