QUARTERLY EWSLETTER onnections ROM Issu e No 22 Winte r 1997 URRICULUM ORPORATION Servicing at a REE CALL: . available outside clbournc distance etropolitan area) 800 337 405 While many T/Ls have experienced their There are the usual administrative tasks to own professional training in an off­ handle next: cataloguing and processing new campus, external mode, not many have resources, database entry, and managing the urriculum Corporation had to teach information skills via radio overdues list, interspersed with teacher as a free call 1800 number frequency to students sitting hundreds requests as resources are selected for the or s&iools outside of miles away from any library. following days. The L/A assists with clbournc requiring processing and parcelling of resources for ssistancc/advice on the At a recent visit to the Charleville School of dispatch to around 80 students each day ... not sc of SCIS products. Distance Education, I spent the day with to mention the endless re-shelving! The 1997 r here arc usually two Margaret Rose, the T /L in charge of the introduction of the Scholastic Book Club and CIS Customer Service library which services the resource-based $1,000 worth of orders each month now adds ·taff available but users needs of some 400+ students from pre-school extra mail to Margaret's busy schedule. ust be prepared to be to year 10. Describing it as 'one huge With years 1 and 2 due for a library lesson, ung back as often the interruption' and 'erratic' does not make it Margaret has chosen a storybook appropriate emand will exceed the sound too unusual for the many of us who for the current theme: rules. Until the upply. work in busy understaffed libraries. technician actually has her and the students However, when you consider that it is rare f the SCIS Customer on-air, Margaret is never sure if her class for for Margaret's students to visit the library crvicc staff arc unable to the day will be four, eight or fifteen students! and yet she still describes her day in this akc your call please leave Once the roll is marked and the lesson message with Recep tion way, you begin to get a picture of the unique begins, each student response is marked on a lctailing the nature of the challenges facing the T /Ls who service sheet which Margaret keeps to monitor cqucst/problcm. SCIS educational needs to an 'unseen' client group. student input and interaction over the year. ustomcr Service staff will The school is located in the grounds of The lesson is reliant not only on Margaret's ing you back as soo n as organisation and the story, but also on the ossiblc. Charleville State High School and the two educational institutions share many facilities frequency remaining on-air and students including the library. The library services remembering to press the button when it's , 300+ day students and is staffed on a similar their turn to speak. 'ubscribe now from: basis: one T /L and a Library Aide. The two While students may receive as little as 30 urriculum libraries have different funding but they do minutes library instruction on-air per term, OR PO RATION share most resources. As the Distance Ed. students have items out for longer periods of time, some resources become temporarily CONTENTS 'off limits' to the other students. e Margaret's day starts with a check of her 41 Rathdowne Strl'l't Carlton schedule lessons on-air for the day. At around 9.30 she starts issuing the books ictoria 3053 2 selected by teachers and students for mailing Postal Address: 2 PO Box 177 the following day. The mail-out day each week includes resources for assignment/ Let SCIS save you time and Culton South money! 3 Victoria 3053 project activities, extension material for " . weak/strong areas, and some recreational lnternetting Cor n er 3 Tel: (03) 9207 9600 Fax: (03) 9639 1616 reading. The Queensland Department of · N e w Zealand N e ws 4 http://www.curriculum.edu.au Education covers costs of one mail-out and H ave you read thi,s? 4 Email: [email protected].,111 return per week to each child. Print Post Approved pp 381667/00227 1 Gnections Margaret picks up extra lessons when feels she has much to offer students 'right' resources has been an inspiration teachers,are away from the school in remote areas, she does miss the and confirms that T /Ls are very running workshops for students face-to-face interaction with her special professionals. elsewhere. She uses this time for various student group. She also wishes she aspects of information skilling: research, had more time for information skilling Heather Kelsall note taking, report writing, etc. and teaching. Editor This is Margaret's second year at Margaret's procedural organisation [email protected] Charleville Distance Ed. and while she and her dedication to supplying the N E 'V\/ s FROM CURRICULUM CORPORATION 1998 SCIS below. Please note that while the initial 1998 SCIS subscriptions/products and Subscriptions cost may appear high, in comparison prices will be in the SCIS subscription with current costs (including the per form due to be forwarded to you in · This issue of Connections brings you record charge), the total cost for a year October. advanced notice of two exciting new is comparable with current costs. Further technical details for the new SCIS products for 1998: a SCIS You may notice that the SCIS products will be available by October, downloading CD-ROM that will allow Abbreviated Cataloguing Microfiche but in short, please note the following: you to download SCIS cataloguing will not be available in 1997 and the records (ie, you will not need to order To use the SCIS downloading CD-ROM, current search only SCIS On DISC them from Curriculum Corporation); you will need access to a CD-ROM (CD-ROM) will be replaced by the new and, at last, access to the SCIS database drive. The CD-ROM drive does not SCIS downloading CD-ROM in 1998. over the Internet, via a World Wide Web necessarily have tp be connected to Curriculum Corporation also wishes (WWW) browser which will allow you your library computer. You may to inform its customers that the to download SCIS cataloguing records download SCIS records from the ASCISRECON program and subsequent online. CD-ROM to a floppy disk, and it there­ processing of ASCISRECON and Rapid fore could be on any computer in your We believe that these two products Retrospective records will cease after the school. provide the highest level of service last processing date on 4 December 1997. that school libraries could want, and These two products will be replaced For web access to the SCIS database will be the basis for SCIS into the next by the new and more efficient SCIS and SCIS cataloguing records, you millennium. downloading CD-ROM and/or SCISWeb will need a connection to the Internet access (via the Internet). via an Internet Service Provider (ISP). As part of a strategic review process There will be no online charges by that we have undertaken in conjunction We are providing you with this Curriculum Corporation, but you may with the introduction of these two new information to assist you with your need to pay connection fees to the ISP. products, we are also streamlining the financial and equipment planning. SCIS invoicing and billing process. In However, please note that these are We are pleased to answer any queries essence, we are moving away from the proposed fees and some details may that you may have however, we would complex (for us and for you) process of change over the next several months. prefer the query either faxed or emailed charging per record ordered and are Updates of this information will be to our SCIS Customer Service staff on: proposing an annual subscription fee, available on Curriculum Corporation's Fax: (03)9639-1616 graduated by school size, which will web site: h ttp://www.curriculum.edu.au Email: [email protected] give you unlimited access to SCIS and through bulk mailouts from cataloguing records. Details are provided Curriculum Corporation. Final details of We look forward to bringing you this improved service in 1998: Product* School size I No . of students Lance Deveson 0-100 101-400 401-800 801 + Assistant Manager: Information 1998 SCIS [fownJoadin!fCD~ROM '" ·$~00 --i./ $400 $.800 (MRRs available only) ~" . ·;·,: .... DDC21 Update 1998 SCISWe.b $200 $300 $500 $700 As reported in earlier editions of (MRRs available only) Connections, SCIS has been reviewing its 1998 SCIS, Online (ASCII OPAC)** $300+ $370+ $570 + $770 + standards in relation to the new edition (Both MRRs & Catalogue Catds available) onlirie time online time online time online time of DDC21. We are pleased to report that this review has now been completed and 1998 SCIS Full Cat. Microfiche** $400 $600 $800 $1,000 as of the 26 May 1997 all new records (Both MRRs & Catalogue Cards aval/able) added to the SCIS database are classified *Includes unlimited SC IS Cataloguing records **Postage and handling charges are included with DDC21 numbers. 2 Let SCIS save you time and money! Have you ever calculated the amount of materials are evaluated for their suitability approximate annual cost of cataloguing time that a T /L spends cataloguing in supporting school CUiriculum resoUices in a school library: resoUices for the school library? Have programs before being selected. Each [No. of resources catalogued per/ year] you considered the amount of money record has complete cataloguing details x [no.