What's your experience with the new ProQuest platform?

[Kathryn Silberger]

I'm interested in the answer to this question.  We were an early adopter of
the new platform, but switched back to the legacy platform.  We did this
because the new platform kept dropping sessions.  Other than that, the new
platform had a lot of positive features.  I'd like to switch back to the
new platform if the session issue has been solved.  I look forward to
hearing from current users.


Katy

Kathryn K. Silberger
Automation Resources Librarian
James A. Cannavino Library
Marist College
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY  12601
Kathryn.Silberger at marist.edu
(845) 575-3419



From:	Stacy Pober <stacy.pober at MANHATTAN.EDU>
To:	WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Date:	11/21/2011 03:30 PM
Subject:	Re: [WEB4LIB] What's your experience with the new ProQuest
            platform?
Sent by:	Web technologies in libraries <WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>



We are in the same position as you, in that we were planning to migrate to
the new platform, but have some doubts about the wisdom of doing this.

We just signed up with Serials Solutions, which is a ProQuest subsidiary.
In the Serials Solutions client center (the admin interface) they list the
number of journal titles in each database, and for the ProQuest databases,
they list them separately for the "Legacy interface" and the new platform.

In almost every case, the legacy platform has more journal titles than the
new platform.  If the Serials Solutions information is accurate, we'd be
losing access to some ProQuest content if we switched over.  There's also
at least one database (PQ Health & Medical Complete) where we might gain
new content on the new version, but there's some corresponding name
confusion in that case.

I have asked both ProQuest and Serials Solutions support about this, and
have not gotten a satisfactory answer yet. (Basically, the front line tech
support said they didn't know but would look into it.)

Also, at least in Serials Solutions, there seems to be some confusion over
whether some of the Legacy platform database names are the same as the new
platform names.

The differences are small, but I don't like to lose content just to switch
to a new interface, particularly when we don't see it as an improvement
over the old interface.

Examples:
Database                   -  # of titles:
ProQuest Central (Legacy) - 13155
ProQuest Central (new)  -     13102

ABI/INFORM Global (Legacy) - 2864
ABI/INFORM Global (new) - 2851

ProQuest Health & Medical Complete  (Legacy) - 1675
Health & Medical Complete - 1875
Health & Medical Complete (new) -  1875
(no entry for "ProQuest Health & Medical Complete" on new platform)

I've noticed that the journals tracking services associated with particular
database vendors are not particularly accurate when tracking the
publications from those vendors.   When we had EBSCO AtoZ they weren't very
accurate about EBSCOhost holdings, either.

I was very satisfied with the 1cate/WorldCatLinkManager openURL/journals
list service and I'm sorry that OCLC is no longer offering it.  They paid a
lot of attention to data accuracy, and their tech support was outstanding.


--
Stacy Pober
Information Alchemist
Manhattan College Library
Riverdale, NY 10471
stacy.pober at manhattan.edu



On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 2:27 PM, Munson, Doris <dmunson at ewu.edu> wrote:
  Hello,

  We're considering switching to the new ProQuest platform over winter
  intersession.  However, I've heard there are still some problems with it
  and would like to know if this is really the case.

  If you have switched, are you encountering any problems with the user
  interface?  With the admin module?  Do you recommend switching over to
  the new platform or waiting?

  Thanks,
  Doris

  Doris Munson
  Systems/Reference Librarian
  Eastern Washington University
  dmunson at ewu.edu
  509-359-6395

  ============================

  To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

  Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

  2011-11-21



============================


To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib


Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/


2011-11-21

============================

To unsubscribe: http://bit.ly/web4lib

Web4Lib Web Site: http://web4lib.org/

2011-11-21