Dear AMICOs,

The first online tools for working with the AMICO Library are now available. You can find them at:

 http://update.amico.org/amico/fulldb/

First to be released are the online edit facility, and the dynamic term occurenence tool. We hope that the online help and interface are self-explanatory. But you will need a few instructions about logging in.

ONLINE EDIT

You can now edit individual catalog records, selected by AID, using a web form. This form highlights required fields in red, and has links from field tags to the field definitions in the data dictionary (thanks Brad!).

To use the online edit, you need to have a current version of a web browser (Netscape 4.0+ or IE 4.0+), with Java and Cookies enabled. To use the Comments tool, you will need to have configured your browser's mail funciton. If you have any questions about what's required, please email Brad Dietrich <brad@amico.org> He'll walk you through requirements and setup.

Individual logins have been assigned to those institutions who have named editors (These will come in separate email messages). If you haven't already replied to David's earlier message, please email me <jtrant@amico.org> to name the person/people who should have access to edit your records.

Permissions are limited by institution (based on your 4 letter prefix). You can only select your own records for editing or online analysis.

TERM OCCCURRENCE LISTS

You can generate list of the values in any field of your AMICO Database Records, by using the "Term Occurrences" tool. You'll be prompted for the Field Tag, and can pick common ones from a pop-up list. Please be patient as the list is generated. It may take some time if you have lots of records.

You can navigate from the values in the occurrence list to the records in the database that contain that term. This is a great way to make edits to standardize terminology, and to catch typos.

The Term Occurrence page also has links to the full analysis of terms in the AMICO Library from all Members. These are static reports, and you can't navigate from the terms they contain. It does help, though, to see your data in context. These lists will give the Editorial Committee something to work on!

A NOTE ABOUT "SEEING" YOUR EDITS

Changes made to your AMICO records online will NOT be immediately reflected in the RLG delivery of the AMICO Library. We're working out an update schedule with them now.

The AMICO Thumbnail Catalog on the Public Web site will be updated weekly with your edits.

COMING SOON

As you'll see, there are some functions "greyed out" in the navigation bar. These will be released over the coming weeks.

GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK

We're very interested in how well these tools work for you. Please use the Comments facility, or email us to let us know about required changes or desired enhancements to the online form. We think Brad's done a great job, but without real use, we can only anticipate what you might need.

jennifer and David