Database Usage
Database Usage at the Naval Air Warfare Center Technical Library
The rapidly changing face of research and technology in the science and research forum, as well as the world, has prompted the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWC-WD) Technical Library to be in a constant state of change. These changes in information technology are made in order to consistently provide the patrons as well as the library staff with the latest capabilities in order to best perform their job duties. Database usage has become the mainstay of the NAWCWD Technical Library, with all staff members and patrons utilizing numerous databases daily. The more frequently used databases at the NAWCWD Technical Library are the STILAS Workflow Catalog, and the Information File, a FileMaker Pro database used to store useful point-of-contact information. This paper will explain these databases, as well as their importance to the NAWCWD Technical Library and proposed improvements to each, where applicable.
STILAS, the Technical Library's networked computer cataloging database, is essential to our day-to-day operations. It allows both patrons and staff up-to-the-minute access to the library current holdings. It shows what is available for check out, what is already checked out, and in some instances- what is missing from the library's collection. The records that appear in the online catalog are created by a process called copy cataloging. Copy cataloging is the process of "copying bibliographic records from a source database such as OCLC WorldCat, [and] has increased librarians' efficiency by eliminating duplication of effort. One library creates a bibliographic record for an item such as a book and many other libraries can copy or migrate the data into their local online catalogs, thus saving each individual library the work of cataloging the item and entering the data into the system." (Beall & Kafadar, 2004). There is one potential flaw to copy cataloging, however. If the...
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