UW Libraries News/Spotlight

The UW Libraries is participating in a pilot project with the OCLC (Online Library Computer Center) to test a new kind of library catalog. The goal is to provide users with a single search and request service that covers the UW Libraries, Summit libraries (includes most academic libraries in Washington and Oregon), OCLC WorldCat (includes materials owned by thousands of libraries around the world), and a selection of article citations, all through one catalog.

Features initially include a single search box, relevancy ranking of search results, result sets that bring multiple versions of a work together, faceted browsing, citation formatting options, and cover art.

This beta catalog is under development. Give it a try and let the Libraries know what you think. Your comments and suggestions will help OCLC to make improvements. Look for the beta catalog search box on the UW Libraries' home pages and at http://uwashington.worldcat.org. Links to the UW Libraries Catalog and to Summit are available directly below the new Beta search box.

The Napoleonic Period Collection features 83 satirical drawings created by French and English artists to comment on the politics and events during Napoleon's reign (between 1793 and 1815). The illustration database is accompanied by an essay about the Napoleonic era, a timeline, a comparison of the French and English styles, an article on the publishing scene and a bibliography. The drawings have been scanned as JPEG 2000 images, enabling fine details to be displayed in a higher quality and allowing you to zoom in and pan across each to see the details.