PostScript and LaTex/Tex files

[Bill Pardue]

Thanks to Keith Engwall and Real Rodreague for their replies.  I
would agree with them wholeheartedly about finding ways to convert
articles to .pdf format if the issue were one of how to deal with
articles we've archived off of other web sites.  We use Adobe .pdf
for our electronic reserves project and expect to use it for a
number of other projects, as well.  Unfortunately, right now we're
not archiving articles, we're just linking to the e-journals. 
Patrons come into the library and use a number of "kiosked" pc's
running Netscape and some helper apps.  If they run across an
article in .ps or LaTex format, they get the old "save/configure a
viewer" box (actually, with .ps, ghostview opens...).  To actually
get the articles in .pdf format, they'd have to let a librarian know
that they've run across a file that needs converting, the librarian
would have to save it to disk/hard drive, go to a workstation with
access to Adobe Distiller (not available on the public
workstations), convert it and then open the article for the patron. 
Obviously, not the preferred workflow model for a busy library. 
Really, the only solution seems to be in finding something that
works well as a good old browser of these formats, without the need
to convert them.  I realize that you can't have a browser available
for every conceivable format, but it's exceptionally frustrating
that no one's come up with something adequate for these two fairly
common ones.

Thanks again!

--Bill Pardue


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Bill Pardue, Electronic Resources Librarian
          Paul V. Galvin Library
      Illinois Institute of Technology
pardue at charlie.acc.iit.edu     312-567-3615
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