Web catalog printing

[Stacy Pober]

Currently, we have dumb terminals to interface our online catalog 
and a number of tape-loaded databases.  Most of those have 
DeskJet printers so that a patron can print a quick book record or 
abstract.

On other computers, we offer full network access to any application 
on the college network, with one pay printer that uses copy cards and 
is NOT networked (you must be at that particular computer to use it.)

Big change is coming.  We are migrating to a web version of the 
catalog and the dumb terminals will be history (sniff, sniff  - go 
ahead and laugh about my missing them, but in the summer, when the 
temperatures climb, they are sometimes the only computers working 
reliably in the non-airconditioned public area!)    

Some of the new computers for the web will have IKIOSK and Fortres on 
them, and they will be reserved for accessing the catalog and 
other web resourcees.  If we leave those with full access to 
applications, I just know that there will be times when there 
are no computers available for catalog access.   We would like to 
make printing available from the catalog and from associated indexes, 
but we don't know of any way to limit them to citation and abstract 
printing.  One of the services on the new web catalog is UMI's 
ProQuest Direct, which offers full-text and full-images for many of 
the articles.  Some of those are quite long, and we don't want the 
printer used for that, both for reasons of cost and because we will 
not have as many printers available.

I'm sure other libraries have already faced this question of how to 
limit printing from a web-based catalog.  What has worked for your 
library?  What should we avoid?  

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Stacy Pober                   Internet: spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu
Information Alchemist         http://www.manhattan.edu/library/mclmenu.html
Manhattan College Libraries   Phone:  718-862-7980
Riverdale, NY 10471           Fax:  718-862-7995
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