Using the Engineering Index in Reference Collaboration at a Multi-Campus University

Two Oklahoma State University librarians collaborated in a reference transaction involving a literature review.A collaborative approach was agreed upon when the librarians realized that they were working with the same graduate student, who commuted from the main campus in Stillwater to Tulsa to meet with his advisor, conduct his research, and complete the coursework offered at that location.The student was not familiar with the organization of the literature in the form of patents, technical reports, and online databases.He began by working from the book literature to determine the introduction of metal matrix composites, as indicated in patents cited in these resources.The student felt that a search was necessary to confirm whether or not any research was reported in the literature over a fixed time frame.Library resources at each of the two campuses were used in a complementary manner.The librarians collaborated to determine keyword phrases and their controlled vocabulary counterparts.The search presented the predicament of keyword versus subject thesauri term searching and the respective impact in regards to comprehensive database searching.A study of the print index indicated its evolution over time, which continued after the introduction of the online format.A DialogClassic connection at the Tulsa campus library was used for a search of the Engineering Index because the Engineering Index Backfile (1884-1968) was not available in Stillwater or Tulsa.