EndNote Web developments

Now that version 2.2 of EndNote Web is available, I thought it would be
worth highlighting a few recent developments.

The most important of these is that Site Administrators can now upload
local filters, styles and connection files, for the use of all people in
their own institution.

Even if you don't create local filters, styles or connection files, you
can still use this feature to highlight the files which will be of most
use to your local users. For example, you can download from the EndNote
website (or copy from your desktop version of EndNote) the filters for
the major databases which you subscribe to at your institution. Rename
these files with the number 1 at the beginning (e.g. 1 Psycinfo), and
then upload them to EndNote Web. Now your users will see the filters
which they need at the top of the list.

Here's a tip on connection files. Many of us have got used to ignoring
connection files, because our students couldn't use them from computers
on campus as a result of firewall restrictions on Z39.50 servers. With
EndNote Web there are no such restrictions, because the search is being
sent via HTTP to the EndNote Web server, which connects via Z39.50,
retrieves the results, and sends them back via HTTP. So no firewall
problems.

The downside of this is that you cannot use connection files that
require IP authentication, because the Z39.50 search is being conducted
from the EndNote Web domain, not from your domain. If the connection
file only requires username and password authentication, this will work
with EndNote Web, providing that you are prepared to supply your patrons
with a username and password, but many libraries are reluctant to do
this.

We encourage use of EndNote Web connection files for those databases
which require no authentication. Apart from Pubmed, most of these are
library catalogues. There are a few other journal article databases that
require no authentication and are searchable via Z39.50:

Agricola (journal articles)
Blackwell Synergy
Project Muse
Mura (Australian indigenous studies)

You can download the above connection files from our website at:
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/faqs/endnote/connect.html

The EndNote software includes a connection file for the very useful free
"Bib of Brit and Irish Hist".

Does anybody know of connection files for other free journal article
databases?

Finally, another welcome development with EndNote Web is that, when
sharing groups of references with other users, you can now give them
"Read and Write" access. This should be useful for collaborative
projects. The only problem with these shared groups is that you can't
use them with CWYW unless you are the original owner of the group. The
people you share the group with would have to copy it into their own
account to use it with CWYW. I hope this will change in later releases.


John East
University of Queensland Library
Email: [email protected]